Glossary
MOT (Ministry of Transport Test)
The UK's annual roadworthiness test, mandatory for cars over three years old. Records mileage and any defects on a public-access history.
Definition
The MOT — short for Ministry of Transport, the government department that introduced it in 1960 — is the United Kingdom's annual roadworthiness inspection. It is mandatory for every car older than three years and tests brakes, lights, tyres, emissions, structural condition, and approximately 90 other items. Each test produces a record stored in the central MOT database, which is publicly accessible by VIN or number-plate at the UK government's free lookup service. The MOT mileage history is one of the highest-integrity used-car data sources in Europe: every reading is logged by a licensed tester, the records are tamper-resistant, and the history extends back roughly two decades for a typical car. The post-Brexit MOT remains unchanged; it does not transfer to or from EU periodic inspection systems.
Why it matters when buying a used car
The UK MOT is the single best dataset for catching rollback on a UK-imported car. A buyer outside the UK should always ask for an MOT history printout when considering a UK import — it is free and definitive.
Often confused with
HU
Germany's biennial roadworthiness inspection. TÜV is the largest of several authorised inspection bodies; HU (Hauptuntersuchung) is the formal name of the test.
APK
The Netherlands' periodic roadworthiness inspection, registered against the vehicle's number plate in the national registry.
STK
The Czech and Slovak roadworthiness inspection. Logs mileage at every test and is one of the more rollback-prone records due to historical paper-based reporting.
Mileage rollback
Tampering with a vehicle's odometer to display a lower mileage than the car has actually covered. A criminal offence in every EU country.