The Ultimate UK Driver's Guide
Your Complete Resource for MOT, Tax, & Insurance Checks
Staying on top of your vehicle's legal requirements is essential for every UK driver. This guide provides everything you need to know about checking your car's tax, MOT, and insurance status, with direct links to official services and answers to your most pressing questions.
Car Tax (VED): Everything You Need to Know
Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), commonly known as car tax or road tax, is a legal requirement for every vehicle driven or kept on a public road in the UK. If your vehicle isn't taxed, you could face an automatic fine of £80. Driving an untaxed vehicle can lead to court action and a penalty of up to £1,000.
You can easily check if a vehicle is taxed online. All you need is the vehicle's registration number. This is the quickest way to confirm its current tax status.
To pay for your vehicle tax, you'll need a reference number from your V11 reminder letter, your V5C log book, or the green 'new keeper' slip from a recently purchased car. If you don't have any of these documents, you can apply for a new log book from the DVLA.
Remember, if you are not using your vehicle and it is kept off the road, you must declare it with a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN). You cannot keep an untaxed vehicle without a SORN.
MOT Check: History, Status, and Advisories
The MOT (Ministry of Transport) test is an annual inspection required for most vehicles over three years old to ensure they meet minimum road safety and environmental standards. Driving without a valid MOT certificate can invalidate your car insurance and lead to a fine of up to £1,000.
Our MOT check service lets you instantly see the current status of any vehicle. More importantly, you can view its entire MOT history, which includes:
- Pass or Fail Results: See the outcome of every test the vehicle has ever had.
- Mileage History: Check the recorded mileage at each MOT to spot potential clocking.
- Advisory Notices: Discover issues that weren't severe enough to fail the MOT but may need attention soon. This is vital information when buying a used car.
- Reasons for Failure: Understand exactly why a vehicle failed previous tests.
Knowing when your MOT is due is crucial. Use our tool to find your MOT expiry date and set a reminder.
Car Insurance and the MID Database
It is a serious criminal offence to drive a vehicle on a public road without valid insurance. The police use the Motor Insurance Database (MID) to enforce this law. The MID is the central record of all insured vehicles, and police ANPR cameras scan number plates against it in real-time.
You can check your own vehicle's insurance status on askMID to ensure your policy is correctly listed. This is especially important after renewing or taking out a new policy, as it can sometimes take a few days for insurers to update the database.
If you've been involved in an accident, you can also use a paid service on askMID to check the insurance details of the other vehicle involved. This is a vital step for making a claim.
Frequently Asked Questions
Your common questions about MOT, Tax, and Insurance answered.
You can check your vehicle's full MOT history using our integrated MOT check tool. You will need the vehicle's registration number. The history shows past results, advisory notes, and mileage records, which is essential when buying a used car.
You can find your MOT due date by using the DVLA's MOT check service. Simply enter your vehicle registration number to see the expiry date of your current MOT certificate. Most vehicles need their first MOT three years after registration and then annually thereafter.
To tax your car online, you will need a reference number from one of the following: a recent vehicle tax reminder letter (V11), your vehicle log book (V5C), or the green 'new keeper' slip if you have just bought the car.
Police use Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to instantly check if a vehicle is insured by cross-referencing its registration number with the Motor Insurance Database (MID). If a vehicle is not on the MID, the police can pull it over and issue penalties.
MOT advisories are issues that were found during the test that are not serious enough to cause the vehicle to fail, but will require attention in the near future. They provide an early warning of potential problems, such as tyre wear or slight corrosion.