So you what to know about a MOT status or if a vehicle has a MOT certificate?
When you’re buying a car it can be a little daunting trying to figure out which seller is genuine and which is trying to take your money and leave you stuck in the mud, but fortunately, there are things you can do to prevent any issues.
Checking the MOT history of a vehicle is one way to prevent yourself from falling into any traps. An MOT is a legal requirement for vehicles, without them you cannot drive one – this is something to consider when you go to test drive a car, make sure it has an MOT otherwise you could be stopped by the police and held accountable.
Another reason to purchase a car with an MOT attached to it is that without one, you could land yourself in a bottomless pit of money issues. If a vehicle doesn’t have an MOT or only has a couple of months left on it when you buy it, you might take it to get tested and be presented with a hefty bill. In some cases, repairs for the sake of an MOT have costed more than the initial purchase.
MOTs are a good indicator on whether you should be purchasing a car or not, but by completing a quick check with Car Guide, you can make sure that you’re aware of a car’s MOT history.
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Use Car Guide to check a car’s MOT history
A quick and easy way to discover a car’s MOT history is to enter the reg at Car Guide. From there, it’s as easy as reading a book! You might find a lot of MOTs, but this isn’t necessarily anything to worry about, it’s an annual requirement, and a couple of failures may happen so be expected to be inundated with information.
You’ve got the MOT history in front of you, but perhaps you’re wondering what it all means? The first thing to mention is that just because you see a failure, it doesn’t mean you should avoid the car.
There are many reasons why a car might fail an MOT. It could be as small as an illegal tyre tread, and a replacement is needed or a for lamp not working. What’s important is looking at the reasons they failed and whether they were rectified or seeing the same failures, time and time again.
If you notice the same issues and they’re more significant than a tyre change you might need to question how well the car has been looked after. Is it just the way someone is treating it with a lack of servicing or is there a deeper issue that costs too much to sort out, so quick temporary fixes are the option the owner is choosing?
A complete MOT history check can undoubtedly show you a lot about how the car has been looked after and any issues you might meet when purchasing it but there are more red flags that you should keep an eye out for.
Essential checks to carry out before purchasing a used car
Luckily, you don’t need to do anything more to find out these essential pieces of information. A check through Car Guide will undoubtedly tell you everything you might want to know, but by paying a small fee of just £8.99, you’ll discover everything you need to know about a used car so that you can be sure that you’re getting the best deal.
The small fee will cover important issues such as whether the car is stolen. If you purchase a stolen car and the police catch you, not only will you have to return the vehicle you may not be finally compensated for it either – plus you could be held liable in court.
Another vital piece of information you can get from a Car Guide online check is to discover if an insurance company has ever written off the car. A car doesn’t need to be in a wrecked condition to be written-off, and in some cases, like a Cat N write-off, you’ll only really know if you have the car for a period of time and the issues could be fatal.
By completing a Car Guide check, you’ll know if the vehicle has ever been written-off, in which case the seller should have sufficient documentation to show you that the car is in a drivable condition.
Additional pieces of information such as the number of previous owners, valuations and any required repair costs are included in the checks. When you carry out a check with Car Guide, you won’t need to try and figure out if a car is worth your hard-earned cash, you’ll have all the information in front of you to make an informed decision.
With Car Guide, you can get a free MOT history as part of our free car check. Just give us your vehicle registration number and we can tell you if the car has a valid MOT.
