There are a few important things to keep on top of when owning or driving a car. Ensuring your car is MOT’d, taxed and insured is something every driver should know how to do.

With modern technology, there’s no excuse either, all you need is an internet connection and your car's registration number. The service for checking your road tax expiry also offers useful information about your MOT status, too.

How to Check if a Car is Taxed

Thankfully the gov.uk website has a quick and easy service for checking car tax, anyone can use it to check any car registration:

1. Navigate to gov.uk/check-vehicle-tax on your phone or computer
2. Click ‘Start Now’
3. Enter your registration number and click ‘Continue’
4. If the right details are displayed, click the Yes box, then ‘Continue’
5. The Tax and MOT status will be displayed at the top of the page

Why You Need to Check If Your Car is Taxed

Having car tax, or Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) to use its official name, is a legal requirement to drive on UK roads. 

The punishment for not taxing your car depends on how and when you are caught, but it can range from a £100 fine, to criminal convictions and vehicle seizure.

How To Check if a Car is Insured

A different service must be used to check if your car is insured: the askMID database. To check if your car is insured, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to askMID.com on your phone or computer
2. Click the green ‘Check your vehicle’ button at the top right of the page
3. Enter your registration number and read the terms of use
4. If you are happy with these terms, click the white checkbox, then the ‘Check This Vehicle’ button
5. The insurance status will be displayed on the next page

Why You Need To Maintain Car Insurance

Having a car insurance policy is a legal requirement to drive on public roads in the UK. You must have a minimum of third-party cover. This ensures that if you are involved in a collision, the other party will be able to claim against your insurance company for their losses.

Driving without insurance is a serious offence, and comes with a range of punishments starting at a £300 fine and 6 penalty points.

How to Check MOT Status

An MOT test is an annual test of roadworthiness, carried out by qualified personnel at an approved MOT station. To check how long your MOT is valid, follow the steps below:

1. Navigate to gov.uk/check-mot-history on your phone or computer
2. Click ‘Start Now’
3. Enter your registration number and click ‘Continue’
4. The date the MOT is valid untill will be displayed at the top of the page

You can also view previous MOTs using this service, including any minor or major defects and advisories. 

Why MOTs Are Important

Having a valid MOT certificate is required to tax a vehicle, and driving without either is a serious offence. The MOT checks all the safety aspects of your car, including tyres, suspension and more. 

You should be aware of when your MOT is due to expire in advance, as you can book at test up to 30 days early, this allows you time to fix any faults.

How to Avoid Fines, Penalty Points or Vehicle Seizure when Driving

It may seem like a lot, but there are only really a few things to remember:

• Ensure you have a valid MOT certificate
• Ensure your car is taxed
• Ensure your car is insured
• Check regularly the main safety aspects of your vehicle, to ensure it is roadworthy

If you do these 4 things, and maintain a good standard of driving, there is no reason to worry about fines or penalty points!

How To Not Forget About Car Tax and MOT

If you find yourself forgetting about your car’s MOT or insurance renewal until the last minute, here are a few tips on how to remember for the future:

• Add all your expiry dates into your calendar
• Make sure your insurer's emails are not going to spam, as they will email you in advance of your policy renewal
• Sign up for reminders for your MOT and car tax at gov.uk/mot-reminder

Use Bumper For Your MOT

If your MOT is due soon, consider using Bumper’s excellent MOT service, this allows you to spread the cost of MOT work with interest-free payments.

Find your local approved partner garage to get started.

Author - Joseph Law

Joseph has been writing about cars for over seven years and writing for Bumper for over two, blending his passion for automobiles with a talent for storytelling.

Joseph has written about engineering and cars for Autozilla, Komaspec, and several engineering manufacturers. When he's not writing or tinkering with one of his cars, Joseph dreams of owning an Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale.