MOT demand expected to reach all-time high during festive period

Dealers and independent garages could be inundated with MOT bookings before the end of the year as motorists who took advantage of the Government’s six-month extension in June now require a test.

Last year, almost 300,000 MOTs took place between December 23 -31. In June 2020, there were 700,000 fewer tests carried out and many of those vehicles will require testing before the end of the year.

Jessica Potts, head of marketing at BookMyGarage.com, said: “We urge drivers not to leave MOT tests to the last minute, particularly this year when the extension has caused demand to be significantly higher than normal since September.

“That said, we know Christmas can be a useful time of year for many to catch up on errands and it’s useful to know that almost all our garages will be open for the majority of the Christmas break should your MOT be due.”

Of the 9,000 independent and franchise garages listed on price comparison site BookMyGarage.com, 93% plan to remain open every day over the Christmas period, with the exception of Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Although the Government announced tougher restrictions over the weekend for parts of England with the introduction of Tier 4, garages are still allowed to remain open for MOT tests, servicing and repairs in these areas.

Last year, a third of the average number of daily MOT tests took place on Christmas Eve, with half the usual number occurring on New Year’s Eve and just 0.8% on Boxing Day.

Unsurprisingly, Christmas Day itself had the lowest number of MOT tests with just 89 in total, 0.1% of the typical daily number.