When is my MOT due? UK, France and Spain rules

Miss your MOT date and you can be fined up to £1,000, yet the date is easy to lose track of between two tests. Here is how to work it out in Great Britain, with the rules for France and Spain if you drive there, and how to get a reminder in time.

Great Britain: 3 years, then every year

According to GOV.UK:

• First MOT: by the third anniversary of the vehicle's registration (a few vehicle types must be tested at 1 year old).
• After that: every year, by the anniversary of the last MOT.
• Testing early: you can get the MOT up to a month (minus a day) before it runs out and keep the same renewal date. A car whose MOT runs out on 15 May can be tested from 16 April without losing any days.
• Fine: up to £1,000 for driving without a valid MOT.

Northern Ireland has its own rules and test process.

GOV.UK also runs a free MOT reminder service by text or email, sent one month before the MOT is due (not available in Northern Ireland, where reminders come by post).

France: 4 years, then every 2 years

According to service-public.gouv.fr (checked 1 January 2026), the French contrôle technique works like this:

• Car: first test in the 6 months before the 4th anniversary of first registration, then a pass is valid for 2 years.
• Motorcycle and scooter: for those registered in 2022 or later, first test in the 6 months before the 5th anniversary, then every 3 years (details). Older bikes follow a phase-in calendar.
• Re-test: after a major defect, you have 2 months to repair and pass the re-test. With a critical defect, the certificate is only valid for the day of the test.
• Fine: a standard fine of €135 (up to €750); the police can keep the registration document and issue a 7-day permit to get the test done.

The French administration does not send reminders.

Spain: the ITV

According to Royal Decree 920/2017:

• Car: exempt for the first 4 years, then every 2 years until 10 years old, then every year.
• Motorcycle: exempt for 4 years, then every 2 years.
• Testing early: if you pass within the 30 days before expiry, the new validity runs from the old expiry date, so you lose nothing.
• Failed test: 2 months to fix the defects and go back.

Never miss the date with Staticar

The Staticar app notifies you 30 days before, 7 days before and on the due day. Its automatic calculation follows the French rule, so in the UK set the date yourself:

• Easiest for an MOT: in the Reminders tab, tap "Add a reminder", choose "Custom reminder", pick your MOT expiry date and set it to repeat "Every year".
• Or use the "Roadworthiness test" reminder: enter the date of your last MOT and change "Every … months" to 12.
• If you don't know the last date, the reminder shows "To check" instead of inventing one; tap it to enter the date when you find it on your MOT certificate.

For a Spanish ITV, keep the interval at 24 months and switch it to 12 when the car turns 10; Staticar won't make that change for you. From the notification, "Snooze 1 week" gives you time to book.

Staticar works with no account and no Internet access: your test date stays on your phone. For other deadlines (oil change, timing belt, tyres), see our maintenance calendar.

Sources

• GOV.UK, When to get an MOT and MOT reminders.
• Service-public.gouv.fr, car roadworthiness test and motorcycle test (in French), checked 1 January 2026.
• BOE, Royal Decree 920/2017 on vehicle inspection (in Spanish), articles 6 and 11.