Why MOT Paperwork Looks Different (And Why It’s Not a Problem)

If you’ve had an MOT recently and thought the paperwork looked a bit… underwhelming, you’re not imagining it.

Gone are the days of a formal-looking certificate that felt like something you should file carefully away. What many people get now is a very plain printout — often just a list of advisories — or sometimes nothing at all.

It’s enough to make you pause and wonder:

Have I missed something?
Is this still valid?
Has the MOT system changed again?

The reassuring answer is: no — not in any important way.

The MOT test itself hasn’t changed

Let’s start with the bit that matters most.

The MOT test is still the same:

Same annual requirement once your car is old enough
Same safety checks
Same pass or fail standards

If your car passed its MOT last year and it’s been looked after properly, nothing about the test has suddenly changed underneath you.

What has changed is the paperwork — or more accurately, where the real record now lives.

MOTs went digital a while ago — and that’s actually a good thing

Instead of relying on a paper certificate, the result of your MOT is recorded digitally and stored on a central system — something that’s been in place for quite a while.

That digital record is the official proof of your MOT.

Police, insurers, and ANPR cameras don’t rely on paperwork in your glovebox. They check the system using your registration number.

That’s why:

You don’t need to carry an MOT certificate in the car
You don’t need screenshots on your phone
You don’t need to panic if the paperwork looks basic

The system already knows.

Illustration showing MOT records stored digitally and the importance of checking MOT history before buying a used car.

Why the paperwork looks plainer now

What’s changed more recently is that many garages no longer automatically print a formal pass certificate when your car passes.

Instead, you might be given:

A simple advisory sheet
Or nothing at all, unless you ask

That doesn’t mean anything is missing.

It just means the paperwork you’re holding is for your convenience, not legal proof. The real record is online.

And that’s often what catches people out — the look of the paperwork, not the MOT itself.

The digital MOT system is incredibly useful when buying a car

One area where the digital MOT system really comes into its own is when you’re buying a second-hand vehicle.

You can now see:

The full MOT history
Previous failures
And, crucially, advisories going back several years

I once looked at buying a car that came with “12 months MOT”. The seller even flashed the MOT document to show it had passed.

But when I checked the MOT history online, I found a long list of worrying advisories — the sort that suggest a car is nearing the end of its useful life, even if it’s technically scraped through the test.

On paper, it looked fine. Online, it told a very different story.

That check saved me from what would almost certainly have been an expensive mistake.

How to check a car’s MOT status (for free)

The official place to check a vehicle’s MOT status is the GOV.UK website:

Check the MOT status of a vehicle (GOV.UK)

All you need is the registration number.

You’ll be able to see:

Whether the MOT is valid
When it expires
The full MOT history
Any advisories from previous tests

Quick PSA: If you search Google for “MOT check”, you’ll find plenty of websites offering to do the same thing — sometimes for a fee. You don’t need them. The GOV.UK service is free, official, and accurate.

GOV.UK page showing ‘Check the MOT status of a vehicle’ with the Start now button. — The official GOV.UK MOT checking page — free to use and no sign-up required.

A quick note on advisories

Advisories are often misunderstood.

An advisory:

Is not a failure
Doesn’t stop you driving
Is simply something the tester thinks you should keep an eye on

Seen over time, advisories can be far more useful than a single pass or fail — especially when you’re deciding whether to buy, keep, or sell a car.

The unexpected side effect of everything being online

One interesting thing I’ve noticed is how easy it’s now become to check a car’s MOT status.

You sometimes see it on local Facebook groups:

A car parked for a day or two
Someone looks up the registration out of curiosity
Questions start appearing

Most of the time, there’s nothing wrong at all.

The car might be SORN. It might not be in use. It might simply be waiting for a test.

The technology doesn’t mean anyone’s doing anything wrong — it just makes information easier to find. And sometimes that can make things feel more urgent than they really are.