Most independent garages (and those attached to dealerships) and MOT Centres’ remained open during lockdown

This was to ensure that they were available to assist all key workers, so now very much part of the “new normal”.

Whilst the adaptations won’t be as drastic as those seen in dealerships, we have gathered some of the biggest changes that you can expect to see below.

MOT Centres

In line with the national guidelines, social distancing will be followed ensuring 2 metres is kept between customers and members of staff at all times (and fellow colleagues) which can be a bit of a challenge in a small garage!

All surface areas will undergo a rigorous and regular sanitation regime – this will include all hard surfaces being cleaned with soapy water to remove grease and oil, followed by disinfectant.

All vehicles will be fully sanitized both before and after the test has been carried out; this process will include comprehensive disinfecting of all interior surfaces – steering wheels, gear levers, handbrake lever, dashboards. It’s also likely that all seating will be covered using disposable protective seats. 

Paper MOT certificates will no longer be given (some test centres adopted this method previously) and instead can be downloaded and printed from the MOT History website.

You will be expected to pay electronically for your MOT – it’s likely that most MOT centres will refuse cash payments (the contactless card payment limit has been increased from £30 to £45 in the UK which should now cover your basic MOT fee).

Most MOT centres will have closed their viewing areas so please bear this in mind if you would usually have waited for your test to be carried out!

Your car should be returned to you clean but for your own safety and peace of mind, we would advise sterilizing all major surfaces inside your vehicle for good measure before driving it away.

Some test centres’ are offering to collect and drop off your vehicle as part of the service so it’s worth a call to your garage ahead of your MOT to discuss whether they are offering this.

Garages

Many of the changes detailed referencing MOT centres’ will be replicated within garages so should be a consistent theme.

We would recommend calling your garage ahead to ensure that you have an appointment as walk ins are likely to be turned away and some are operating on reduced hours due to staffing requirements.

If you have been advised that your service may take a while, it’s likely that you will be offered a loan or rental car – this should have been cleaned prior to your collection, however an extra wipe with disinfectant wouldn’t go a miss!

As with MOT centres’, numerous garages are offering a collection and drop off service so worth asking when you book if this is possible.