MOT bookings soared 90% throughout Exemption

10 February 2021  

Bookings for MOTs through price comparison site BookMyGarage showed a 90% year-on-year increase during the MOT Exemption as drivers time-shifted their Spring and Summer MOTs into the Autumn and Winter, in a trend that is expected to be repeated at the end of 2021, and in years to come.

January saw a 50% rise in MOT bookings as the last of the Exemption MOTs took place. For now, the tsunami  of tests will begin subsiding  as tests for all vehicles eligible for the Exemption will soon have been conducted.  

Karen Rotberg, Co-Founder of BookMyGarage.com, commented: “The last six months have proved to be extremely busy for garages who have worked hard to accommodate both MOTs which were extended and those that are normally due at that time of the year.  

“It’s important to remember that it’s not just a case of doing MOTs, it’s also the servicing and repair work that accompanies the majority of tests. In fact, we had more than double the number of combined MOT and service bookings than we did for just MOTs.  

She added: “The second quarter of 2021 will be challenging for garages, with millions of MOTs effectively now not taking place during these months. That said, it’s worth remembering that three-year-old cars which are due their first MOT test this year, and were first registered between April and June, will help recover some of the work lost during this difficult period.”