MOT loophole can get you a £2,500 fine and three points

Everyone needs to know about these massive changes.

Plenty of people might be guilty of doing it, but the police are cracking down on anyone having a new MOT test carried out before their current certificate expires. A lot of drivers put their car in for an early MOT, believing they can still use the vehicle until the old test runs out - giving them more time to find out if anything requires repairing. However, this is not legal, as when a car fails it is immediately recorded on the national database as no longer road legal, over-riding previous inspections. If caught driving a non-road legal vehicle you face fines of up to £2,500 and three points on your license. And, with tougher checks due in May, more drivers could be at risk of the penalty. The new measures are being brought in to 'improve driver safety, reduce air pollution and make the test harder for diesel cars to pass', they will become effective as of 20 May. Under the new rules, faults will be categorised as: Minor, Major or Dangerous - with Major and Dangerous faults resulting in an immediate ban. The DVLA website says: "If your vehicle fails the MOT: you’ll get a ‘refusal of a MOT test certificate’ from the test centre." "It will be recorded in the MOT database. You can take your vehicle away if your MOT certificate is still valid."