Should I Buy a Car With No MOT History?

You run a background check on a nearly-new vehicle and find the MOT history is completely blank. Is this a scam, a system error, or perfectly normal?

Why Newer Cars Have No MOT History

In Great Britain, a passenger car does not require its first MOT test until the third anniversary of its registration. (In Northern Ireland, this is currently four years).

If you are looking at a car that is 1 or 2 years old, it is entirely legal and normal for it to have no MOT history. The DVSA database will simply return no records, because a test has never been legally required.

How to check if the blank history is legitimate

You need to verify the vehicle's age. Check the Date of First Registration.

If the car was registered on 1st March 2023, its first MOT is not due until 1st March 2026. If you are buying it in 2024, the blank history is correct.

However, if the car is 5 years old and has no MOT history whatsoever, this is a serious red flag. It may have been off the road, declared SORN, imported recently, or driven illegally.

What to check on nearly-new cars instead

Since you don't have MOT tester notes to rely on for a condition check, you should focus on:

• Service History: The car should still have been serviced according to the manufacturer's schedule (usually every 12 months or 10,000 miles).
• Warranty Status: Most new cars come with a 3 to 7-year manufacturer warranty. Check that the terms of the warranty haven't been voided by missed services.
• Recall Checks: Ensure there are no outstanding safety recalls on the vehicle.

Let AI handle the dates

Working out whether a car should or shouldn't have an MOT based on its exact registration date can be tedious. When you run an AI Reg Check, our engine calculates the exact age of the vehicle. If it's under three years old, it won't penalise the car for missing MOT history.