The SECRET tool that means you’ll never forget an MOT – and get a £1,000 fine – again
DRIVERS are forgetting to renew their MOTs in record numbers - and risking a £1,000 fine.
But there's a secret tool you should be using to avoid being caught out by cops - and it even works on your smartphone.
Police use automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras to track down motorists with out-of-date MOTs.
Most are handed £100 on-the-spot penalties - increased from £60 in August 2013 - but if it's taken to court you can be fined £1,000.
According to research by , more than 400,000 Brits have been slapped with fines of over £35million since 2012 for not having a valid MOT - with West Yorkshire the most forgetful.
But the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) actually has an optional email notification reminder service - it's just people don't know about it.
Hidden within the , you can enter a car's registration number to check the MOT history - either on your own motor or a future used buy.
And at the same time, you can fill in your email address to sign up for reminders so you never forget to renew.
Carbuyer reported half of drivers weren't aware of the free tool and a quarter of motorists have no idea when their MOT expires.
Stuart Milne, Carbuyer editor, said: "Since you can check the MoT status and history of your car or one you’re interested in buying in seconds on your smartphone for free, there should be no excuse to be uninformed."
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Aside from the hidden tool, there's currently no other central system in place for sending out an annual MOT reminder like there is for vehicle excise duty.
But the DVSA is working on one - although it will likely still require drivers to sign up for notifications rather than automatically being sent to owners.
A DVSA spokesman said "We’re currently testing an MOT reminder service where initially vehicle owners can sign up to receive a reminder e-mail at four weeks and two weeks before their MOT is due."
