An MOT history report for your customers

Any buyer can look up a car’s MOT history on GOV.UK from the reg. Handing them the record first, laid out plainly, answers most of their questions and shows you have nothing to hide.

What the MOT history holds

For each test, GOV.UK’s record shows whether the car passed or failed, the mileage when it was tested, where the test was done, and which parts failed or had minor problems (check MOT history).

How to read it

Since May 2018, defects are graded in three categories, and testers can also note advisories (MOT inspection manual):

Category	What it means	Result
Dangerous	A direct and immediate risk to road safety or the environment	Fail
Major	May affect the car’s safety, put other road users at risk or harm the environment	Fail
Minor	No significant effect on safety or the environment	Pass
Advisory	Not worn enough to fail; noted so the owner knows	Pass

Three things tell a buyer most: whether the mileage always went up, whether failures were fixed at the retest, and whether the same part keeps being noted test after test.

What a report adds

A failed test and its retest shown as one visit, with every line graded the way the tester recorded it:

And each part the MOT has noted, one box per test, so a one-off and a repeat look different at a glance:

Sample data, for illustration. See the whole sample report.

Handing it over

• On the forecourt: print the A4 PDF and leave it with the car.
• Before a viewing: send the link or the PDF from your phone, so the buyer arrives knowing the history.
• In the advert: link the report, so the record is there before anyone asks.
• At the sale: give the buyer a copy and keep one with the paperwork. Trade reports end with a condition checklist for the handover.