It’s one thing for drivers to miss their MOT deadlines – some 7.6m did so in 2023 according to data obtained by Green Flag from the DVSA – but it’s quite another to miss an MOT appointment.
Missed MOT appointments are nothing new. Back in July 2019, the BBC reported that some 2,300 motorists across Northern Ireland failed to turn up for MOT tests the previous month, despite public anger over test backlogs. Overall, in the 2018-19 financial year, 32,000 did not attend an MOT appointment.
By November 2025, CompareNI.com reported that that figure had worsened to 36,000 a year missing slots, with the figures made up of 32,507 missing a first test and 3,678 missing re-tests.
It’s hard to believe that only drivers in Northern Ireland are missing appointments, yet searching of the web turns up little else.
But the problem does occur elsewhere, albeit to a lesser extent.
Studley Green MOT & Service Centre owner John Bird does have no-shows, although admittedly “not a huge amount”.
However, when they do occur it’s generally a first-time customer who has booked online with “no accountability and is covering their tracks.” Online, for him, means that the booking has no personal element and so is effectively guilt-free for no-show drivers.
It’s an irritant to Bird, as he’ll have an MOT tester at his garage near High Wycombe doing nothing. But when missed slots do occur, the garage blocks the customer so that they cannot abuse the system again.
Interestingly Bird says it’s not just MOTs where no shows occur - it also happens with servicing. He says that owners of cars “are more of a problem” compared to van drivers.
There are a number of solutions to this knotty problem.
One is to follow the line taken by the likes of Halfords and others. Very simply, the garage charges drivers up front when they make appointments and so makes no loss on a no-show, apart from, of course, the chance to carry out repairs on vehicles that fail the test.
Another is to use systems to jog the memories of drivers. And this is what the booking system at Studley Green does, both through booking confirmations and reminders the night before.
But as for taking payment up front, Bird thinks it more trouble than it’s worth.
In comparison, Reliance Auto Test in Bicester, managed by Tom Horwood, has at least one no show a week. But he doesn’t consider that a bad rate; in fact, he considers himself “pretty lucky.”
As with Studley Green, Reliance sends drivers a reminder “once they’re on the system” and reminder the day before – mid-afternoon.
That said, Horwood does check on those that don’t turn up to see if they’ve had their MOT completed elsewhere. And if they have, and have not cancelled the booking, Reliance doesn’t generally block the customer unless there’s a history of cancelled jobs.
Horwood moots a logical solution - that all MOT bookings are made through the gov.uk portal using a centralised system that takes payment up front and subsequently reimburses garages. He doesn’t think, however, it likely to be implemented.
That leaves Horwood and others either taking missed slots on the chin and trying to pull other MOTs forward or putting in place their own pay-on-booking system that might be more trouble and cost than it’s worth. But that calculation will be dependent on how the garage views the issue of no-shows.
Going forward, will those with EVs make more effort over their MOT appointments once the new pay-per-mile tax comes into place from April 2028? Or will some continue as they are because online systems have made the booking process impersonal?
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