EVERY year car owners have to book in for an annual MOT test.

The Ministry of Transport test checks that vehicles meet legal road safety and environmental standards.

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Is it illegal to drive with an MOT?

You can drive a car without an MOT to a garage, provided your certificate does not show a dangerous defect.

Aside from a test centre, it is illegal to drive your car elsewhere.

The MOT testers at National Tyres and Autocare garages do not have the authority to stop you from driving away after a failure.

But if your car has a dangerous defect, it’s illegal to drive it and, if caught, there are several penalties likely to be levelled against you.

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If the police stop you and you don’t have a valid MOT, you can be given a £1,000 fine.

If the vehicle’s condition is dangerous, you can receive an unlimited fine if you’re driving a van or £2,500 if you’re driving a car.

That’s on top of three points on your licence, and if you were convicted of driving in a dangerous condition within the past three years, you can be disqualified from driving for at least six months.

, there are over 11,000 automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras across the UK, which check over 50 million records every single day.

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These cameras and police out on the road can automatically see whether your car has a valid MOT.

If it doesn’t, you will be pulled over or otherwise visited by the police.

Do I have to get an MOT test before the old one expires?

Many drivers put their car in for an MOT early to find out if any faults need repairing, in the belief they can still use the vehicle until the old test runs out despite any discovered issues.

But if their car fails it is immediately deemed to be no longer road legal.

This is regardless of how long the previous MOT’s validity has remaining.

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How long does a MOT last?

MOT certificates expire every 12-13 months.

Therefore, if your car is older than three years old you will need to book a test annually.

You are able to renew your vehicle's MOT up to one month before your current certificate expires to allow flexibility for arranging the test on a date and time that is suitable for you.