What happens if you fail your MOT?
There’s nothing worse than a failed MOT – but what happens next?
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By Tia Harrison-North
Last updated: 22 October 2025
If you’ve received the dreaded news, you might be wondering what happens if you fail your MOT?
A failed MOT is one of life’s real pains, and how painful it feels will depend on how many faults you’ll need to put right.
Find out what to do next in our guide on what happens if your car fails its MOT.
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Can you drive a car after a failed MOT?
Once your car has failed its MOT, you’ll only be able to drive it under a few circumstances. You’ll need to make sure:
If your car has failed its MOT before its current MOT certificate expires, you can drive it until the expiration date, as long as there are no serious or dangerous faults
If your MOT has expired and you’ve failed your MOT test, you can only drive your car to pre-booked MOT or repairs appointments (unless your car has a serious fault – then you’ll need to get it towed and can’t drive it at all)
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How many days do you get after an MOT fail?
How long you get to make your next move after an MOT failure will depend on a few things.
You’ll get 10 days after your failed MOT test to get the repairs carried out and a retest completed. If you wait longer than this, you’ll need a whole new MOT test.
You’ll usually be able to get a partial retest done for free if you use the same garage for the MOT and repairs, and have the work done within 10 days.
Like we mentioned above, you can still drive a car with a failed MOT if the current MOT certificate is still in date, as long as the car has no serious or dangerous faults.
A dangerous fault is something that causes immediate risk to your safety while on the road, such as extremely worn brakes.
What happens during an MOT retest?
An MOT retest is what happens when you’ve failed your MOT and then have it rechecked to make sure the repairs fit MOT standards.
Depending on how many repairs were necessary, you might only need a partial retest. This will look only at the areas on your car that need work. For example, if you needed new brakes, then the partial retest will just check that the brakes are now in a passable condition.
If your car failed in a few areas, then you might need a full retest. This will make sure everything is now in the best condition, and this will take longer than a partial retest.
You’ll need a full MOT test if you’re over the 10-working-day limit to have the repairs carried out, or if you took your car to another garage for repairs.
What to do if your car fails its MOT
If you got the bad news and your car has failed its MOT, your next steps should be:
Take a look at the failure report and see what the issues are
Get some quotes for repairs. It might be easiest to get the repairs done at the garage that did the test, so you can have a quick and free retest, but you’re able to go elsewhere for repairs if you prefer
Once the repairs are complete, book your retest. If you’re having repairs done at the same garage that did the original MOT test, they might go ahead with the retest at the same time as the repairs
Keep hold of receipts and documents for your records, so you have proof of fixing the repairs for any future buyers or in case of a fault
What happens if your car fails the MOT retest?
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If your car fails its MOT, you’ll need to organise repairs to be carried out so you can get a fresh MOT certificate.
You might be able to have repairs carried out on your car at the garage that did the MOT. They can then retest and give you your MOT certificate once everything is in top shape.
If you’re having the repairs carried out elsewhere, you’ll need to get those booked in and then book in for an MOT test after the work is complete.
Avoid MOT failure – tips for preparation
It’s common for cars to fail MOT tests as wear and tear begins to crop up. There are a few things you can do to prepare for your test and make passing more likely.
Keep up with a servicing schedule – we offer standard and major servicing at cinch, as well as oil and filter changes. This will help keep wear and tear to a minimum and spot issues before they progress
Monitor fluid levels and top up if needed
Keep an eye out for warning lights and make repairs as needed
Clean your car before its MOT to make inspections easier
Thoroughly check your car over and make any small repairs yourself, such as lights or worn tyres
Book your MOT or retest with cinch
There’s no need to panic if your car fails its MOT test – you just need to get it patched up and retested.
You’ve got 10 days to have your car repaired and retested, and you can even get the retest for free.
You can book an MOT or service with cinch to take care of your essential car maintenance, even if you didn’t purchase your car from us.
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