If your car can be driven at all, then it is often said to be roadworthy. However, roadworthiness doesn’t simply mean that a vehicle can be driven but that it is also safe and, importantly, legal to do so. In the UK, an annual MOT inspection for most cars over three years of age is conducted to check whether a vehicle is roadworthy or not. Those that fail for whatever reasons are, in a legal sense, not roadworthy and should no longer be driven on the public road. Certainly doing so would invalidate your car insurance at the very least. What checks are conducted to ensure a car’s roadworthiness during an MOT?
Guaranteed by DVSA, Elite Autocentre provides highly skilful services and MOTs in London. Book your service with them today because you will receive a high-quality job that means all of the relevant roadworthiness inspections are conducted. One set of checks relates to the driver’s view. This will mean the windscreen, wipers and mirrors are all inspected to make sure that the driver can see properly. Another set of checks deals with the exhaust system to make sure it is working properly. These days, emission levels are measured, too, to ensure cars do not pollute excessively.
Another series of MOT roadworthiness checks you can expect to take place relates to your car’s tyres and wheels. Things like tracking and wheel alignment might not be checked but the wheel hubs will be as well as whether or not your tyres are in good enough condition to be street legal. The car’s steering system and suspension will undergo another set of inspections. Equally, the body of the car including the structural integrity of its chassis will be checked to make sure the car is safe to drive and would hold together in the event of an accident.
A car’s seatbelts and brakes should also pass their inspection as part of an MOT to ensure they are roadworthy. Both are essential safety systems. A surprising number of cars fail the MOTs because of basic and easily fixable faults with seatbelts and brakes. Finally, your MOT will also include a series of electrical checks. These make sure the car is able to function in a roadworthy manner in all conditions, such as when it is cold or dark. Lamps, reflectors and other essential electrical systems, like your car’s heating and screen demister, will all undergo a confirmatory check to ensure they are in good working order.
DISCLOSURE – This is a collaborative post.
