MOT testers in Great Britain must complete at least 3 hours of MOT training and pass DVSA’s annual assessment in every MOT training year, which runs from 1 April to 31 March. The 3 hours apply to each vehicle group you test, so a tester who tests both motorcycles and cars needs at least 6 hours and two assessments. Training must be recorded on the MOT testing service. If no pass is on your profile by 31 March, your tester status is suspended, and you cannot test again until you have trained, passed the assessment and passed a DVSA demonstration test.
At a glance: Nexis CPD offers a £9 CPD-accredited online Work Equipment Awareness course — 100% online, with an instantly emailed, employer-verifiable certificate. Any three courses cost £18, and teams of 5 or more pay £6 a course place.
Nexis CPD courses do not count towards DVSA’s MOT annual training or annual assessment, and they cannot be used as evidence of MOT training. They cover general garage health and safety, which is a separate legal duty explained later in this guide.
This guide covers the hours, the 2026 to 2027 topics, the assessment, recording, missed deadlines, new testers, and what Authorised Examiners (AEs) must check, with an MOT-year checklist. For other professions, see our table of CPD hours by profession. General information — always check DVSA’s current MOT guidance.
Do MOT testers have to do annual training?
Yes. GOV.UK’s guide to MOT tester annual training and assessment is plain: if you are already an MOT tester, you must complete training and pass an assessment between April and March every year.
It is a condition of being a tester. Section E of DVSA’s MOT testing guide says testers must keep up to date by successfully completing annual training and assessment as stipulated by DVSA. They must also study special notices, the inspection manuals and DVSA’s Matters of Testing blog, and train on any new equipment at their testing station.
The cycle applies separately to each vehicle group. Group A is class 1 and 2 vehicles, which DVSA’s topic documents call motorcycles and sidecars. Group B is classes 3, 4, 5 and 7, described as cars and passenger vehicles.
These rules apply in Great Britain. In Northern Ireland, MOT tests are carried out at Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA) test centres, and the DVSA tester scheme does not apply. The table summarises the annual requirements, checked on GOV.UK on 19 October 2026.
| Requirement | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Training year | 1 April to 31 March | MOT testing guide, Appendix 6 |
| Minimum training | At least 3 hours a year per group; at least 6 hours if you test both groups | GOV.UK annual training guide |
| Topics | Set by DVSA each year; 2026 to 2027: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment; the testing guide; braking; the inspection manual | DVSA topics and sample questions |
| Training record | Logged on the MOT testing service: date, duration, topics and notes | MOT testing guide, Appendix 6 |
| Annual assessment | 30 multiple-choice questions online, one per group; notes and inspection manual allowed | GOV.UK annual training guide |
| Pass mark | 80% for 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027 | GOV.UK annual training guide |
| Deadline | Pass recorded on your MOT testing service profile by 31 March | GOV.UK annual training guide |
| Missed deadline | Status suspended; train, pass the next year’s assessment, then a DVSA demonstration test | GOV.UK annual training guide |
| Staying active | A full MOT test at least every 6 months in each group, or status lapses | MOT testing guide, Appendix 6 |
| AE duty | Ensure every tester on its list has completed training and the assessment | MOT testing guide, Section E |
How many hours of MOT training do you need each year?
At least 3 hours for each group you test, every training year. The training section of the GOV.UK guide says testers in both group A and group B must study all the topics, train for at least 6 hours a year instead of 3, and take 2 annual assessments.
The minimum resets each 1 April, and the current guidance sets no separate multi-year total. In practice, 3 hours is a floor rather than a target: the assessment draws on a whole inspection manual and needs 80% to pass.
How you train is your choice. Appendix 6 of the MOT testing guide leaves it to the discretion of the tester and the AE. GOV.UK suggests studying the inspection manuals, special notices and testing guide, discussing or demonstrating what you are learning with other testers, and learning from a more experienced tester.
You can also book a course. GOV.UK names Skills and Education Group, City & Guilds and the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) as providers, each setting its own price. Annual training courses need no approval: DVSA’s guidance for training providers says so. Before paying, check that a course covers this year’s DVSA topics for your group.
Other transport roles work to longer cycles: lorry and bus drivers need 35 hours every five years under Driver CPC. MOT testers have no such window.
What are the MOT annual training topics for 2026 to 2027?
For 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027, both groups study four topics, according to DVSA’s training topics and sample questions:
- lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
- information in the MOT testing guide
- braking
- the MOT inspection manual for your group: cars and passenger vehicles, or motorcycles and sidecars
Each assessment has 30 questions: 4 on lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, 5 on the testing guide, 5 on braking, 12 on the inspection manual and 4 on topics from previous training years, so older topics never fully drop away.
DVSA’s examples show what to expect. Lamp questions include headlamp aim, setting up headlamp test equipment, and halogen headlamps converted to LED or HID. Testing guide questions cover training logs, convictions and repute, and the grounds to refuse or decline a test. Group B braking questions take in discs, drums, pads, hoses, hydraulic systems, electrical mechanical brakes and 4×4 brake testing.
Your records must cover past years too. DVSA’s list of topics your records need to cover runs back to May 2021; for group B, 2025 to 2026 included electric, hybrid and mild hybrid vehicles.
What is the MOT annual assessment and what is the pass mark?
It is an online test of 30 multiple-choice questions, which GOV.UK says usually takes around an hour. You can take it at home or at the provider, using your notes and the MOT inspection manual. GOV.UK’s page on taking your assessment sets the pass mark for 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027 at 80%.
You book through Skills and Education Group or the IMI, at a cost set by the provider, at any point in the year once you have trained. Three rules catch people out:
- Re-sits: GOV.UK says there is no limit on attempts in the same year, but Appendix 6 says a tester who fails should wait 7 calendar days before re-sitting, and record this on their training log.
- Doing it yourself: the assessment must be carried out solely by the tester. If DVSA can prove otherwise, it revokes the result, and the tester needs a further assessment and a demonstration test before testing again.
- The upload: the provider records your pass, and the certificate appears under “Annual assessment certificates” on your MOT testing service profile. Appendix 6 makes checking this the tester’s responsibility. If no pass is on your profile by the end of the training year, your status is suspended.
How do MOT testers record their annual training?
On the MOT testing service. Since 1 April 2024, testers have logged annual training on their profile, and entries can only be made in the current training year. DVSA can review the log remotely. Appendix 6 says each entry must include:
- the date of the training
- how long the session lasted
- the topics you covered
- notes on what you did, how you did it and what you learned
Write the notes as you go. “Read inspection manual, brakes” meets the letter of the rule but tells an examiner little; name the section, the point you were unsure about and what you will now do differently.
For training between 1 May 2021 and 31 March 2024, before logging moved online, you must keep your own paper or digital records, showing your name, MOT testing service user ID and the vehicle groups covered. Appendix 6 says previous records must be kept for 5 years and made available to DVSA on request.
Gaps hit the business as well as the tester. GOV.UK warns that you and the business you work for can be suspended if you do not record your training. Appendix 8 applies graduated sanctions to the AE and tester when records are incomplete or not produced: an advisory warning letter for each of the first three occurrences, and a disciplinary case from the fourth within five years.
What happens if an MOT tester misses the annual assessment deadline?
Your tester status is suspended, and you must stop carrying out MOT tests. The GOV.UK guide says your status will be suspended if you do not pass the annual assessment by 31 March, and the guidance offers no grace period. Getting back takes three steps:
- Do the training and pass the annual assessment on the next year’s topics. If you missed the 2025 to 2026 assessment, you pass the 2026 to 2027 one.
- Request a DVSA demonstration test online, with your MOT testing service user ID, the MOT centre’s details and a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) consent check code.
- Pass the demonstration test. Your account is then unsuspended.
Appendix 6 requires a basic DBS check for testers returning after being lapsed or suspended, dated within the 3 months before the demonstration test. The test itself is free, but you cannot test while you wait for it.
Lapsing is a separate trap. Appendix 6 says a tester must complete a full MOT test within each 6-month period for each group they test, or their status lapses for that group. Returning after a lapse of over 6 months and up to 5 years means the current year’s training and assessment, any additional training and a demonstration test. After 5 years, you go back to the initial qualification course.
What training do new MOT testers need?
A qualification course and a demonstration test, then the annual cycle from the following April. GOV.UK’s guide to becoming an MOT tester says that to take the course you must hold a full UK driving licence for the classes you will test, be a skilled mechanic with at least 4 years’ full-time experience servicing and repairing those vehicles, have no unspent convictions, and be of good repute. Testing class 3, 4, 5 or 7 vehicles also needs an accepted qualification, such as a level 3 vehicle maintenance and repair NVQ or VRQ.
The qualification is a Level 2 Award in MOT Testing, for class 1 and 2 vehicles (group A) or class 4 and 7 vehicles (group B). The group A course lasts at least 16 hours and the group B course at least 29 hours, each with practical training, a multiple-choice test and a practical assessment. Appendix 6 expects the DVSA demonstration test within 6 months of the award; after that, you must first complete the current year’s annual training and assessment.
The first annual cycle starts the April after your demonstration test. GOV.UK’s example: pass your demonstration test on 1 March 2026, and you must record annual training and pass the 2026 to 2027 assessment between 1 April 2026 and 31 March 2027.
What must Authorised Examiners and site managers do about tester training?
Make sure it has been done, for every tester on their list. The Authorised Examiner is the business DVSA authorises to run MOT testing stations. Section E of the MOT testing guide says it is the AE’s responsibility to ensure all its testers remain fully competent, including that they have completed annual training and passed their assessments. Appendix 6 adds that where a tester works at more than one site, an AE cannot assume other AEs have kept the tester’s training records up to date.
That matters for freelance testers. DVSA’s guide to managing your MOT centre tells AEs to check that a new permanent or temporary tester completed the previous year’s training and assessment, is currently active on the MOT testing service, and holds a valid driving licence. Section M of the guide spreads the duty across roles:
- AE designated manager (AEDM): must pass a Level 3 Award in MOT Test Centre Management, or have attended the earlier managers’ course, and is expected to have procedures that ensure mandatory training and assessments are completed
- Site manager: is expected to ensure testers complete mandatory training and assessments
- Quality control: whoever checks testers’ work must also comply with the annual training and assessment requirements
DVSA expects this in each AE’s quality management system. Section B says the system should ensure all staff conducting MOT testing have followed the in-year training requirement and passed the annual assessment, and should cover the training staff need to work safely in the garage.
What should MOT testers and AEs check in each MOT year?
Use this checklist for each training year. It is our summary of DVSA’s requirements, not an official form, and the internal deadlines are suggestions.
For testers
- April: read DVSA’s topics for your group and plan at least 3 hours per group
- Every session: log it on the MOT testing service the same week
- All year: read and acknowledge special notices, and train on any new equipment
- Every 6 months: complete a full MOT test in each group you test
- By the end of January: book the assessment, leaving room for 7-day gaps if you re-sit
- After passing: check the certificate is on your profile
- By 31 March: training logged and a pass recorded for every group
For AEs, AEDMs and site managers
- April: brief testers on the new topics and set an internal deadline
- Each quarter: check every tester’s training log and assessment status
- Before a new or freelance tester starts: confirm last year’s training and assessment, an active account and a valid licence
- After quality control checks: record agreed actions, including additional training
- February: chase anyone without a recorded pass and plan cover in case of suspensions
- All year: keep health and safety training records alongside the MOT records
What health and safety training do MOT testing stations need?
Training outside DVSA’s scheme. MOT training is about test standards; health and safety law applies to the garage as a workplace. DVSA’s centre guidance says your site must meet health and safety requirements, with a written policy if you have 5 or more employees.
Work equipment and vehicle lifts. Regulation 9 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) requires adequate health and safety training for everyone who uses work equipment, and for those who supervise its use. HSE’s guidance on working under vehicles says vehicle lifts should be thoroughly examined by a competent person, and recommends this every 6 months; LOLER itself sets at least every 12 months for lifting equipment that does not lift people, or an examination scheme. HSE says 2-post lift arm locks must be fully engaged, and pads correctly positioned, before a vehicle is raised to full height, and records a fatal case where a car fell off a 2-post lift onto the mechanic below because the arms did not lock. See our guides to PUWER and LOLER thorough examinations.
Hazardous substances. HSE’s guidance on vehicle exhaust emissions says to connect exhaust extraction to the tailpipe when engines run indoors and not to rely on open doors, noting that diesel exhaust contains known carcinogenic substances. HSE also warns that cleaning and degreasing products, including the solvent sprays garages use on brakes, can cause dermatitis. Our guide to COSHH training requirements explains what employers must provide.
Manual handling. HSE’s motor vehicle repair guidance says manual handling causes over 30% of all injuries in the industry, and that employers should use aids such as wheel lifters and trolleys, and otherwise train staff to lift safely.
None of this counts towards MOT annual training, and MOT annual training does not meet these duties either.
Can online courses count towards MOT annual training?
Some can, if they cover DVSA’s topics. DVSA leaves the method to the tester and AE, and annual training courses need no approval, so an online course on this year’s topics can form part of your hours if you log it on the MOT testing service. It never replaces the annual assessment.
Nexis CPD courses are not MOT training. They are £9 CPD-accredited awareness courses on general workplace health and safety, and they do not cover the inspection manual, test standards or DVSA’s annual topics. They do not count towards MOT annual training hours or the annual assessment, and they cannot be used as MOT training evidence, so do not log them as annual training.
What they can do is support a garage’s general health and safety training. Three fit a testing station:
- Work Equipment Awareness: PUWER duties, guarding, controls, isolation, inspection and the extra duties for lifting equipment under LOLER; 1.5 CPD hours
- COSHH Awareness: hazardous substances, labels and safety data sheets, COSHH assessments and the hierarchy of control; 1.5 CPD hours
- Manual Handling Awareness: the avoid, assess, reduce approach, lifting technique, team handling and handling aids; 2.5 CPD hours
Together they cost £18 rather than £27 under the pay-for-2-get-3 offer. Garages training 5 or more staff pay £6 a course place, with places lasting 12 months. They are awareness courses: they do not make anyone competent to operate or examine a vehicle lift.
£9 per course. CPD accredited, 100% online, verifiable e-certificate. Pay for 2, get 3 — any 3 courses for £18.
Frequently asked questions
How many hours of training does an MOT tester need each year?
At least 3 hours a year for each vehicle group you test, between 1 April and 31 March. If you test both group A (classes 1 and 2) and group B (classes 3, 4, 5 and 7), you need at least 6 hours and must pass two annual assessments.
What is the pass mark for the MOT annual assessment?
For 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027 the pass mark is 80%. The assessment is 30 multiple-choice questions taken online, usually in about an hour, and you can use your notes and the MOT inspection manual.
What happens if I miss the MOT annual assessment deadline?
If no pass is recorded on your MOT testing service profile by 31 March, your tester status is suspended and you must stop testing. To return, you must do the training, pass the next year’s assessment, and request and pass a DVSA demonstration test.
Do new MOT testers have to do annual training in their first year?
Not in the training year in which they pass their demonstration test, unless they become lapsed. They start recording annual training from the following 1 April, and must pass that year’s assessment by the next 31 March.
Who is responsible for making sure MOT testers complete their training?
The tester plans, does and records it. The Authorised Examiner must also ensure every tester on its list has completed annual training and the assessment, and cannot assume another AE has checked. Site managers are expected to ensure testers complete mandatory training and assessments.
Do Nexis CPD courses count towards MOT annual training?
No. Nexis CPD courses are general health and safety awareness courses. They do not cover DVSA’s annual training topics, do not count towards MOT annual training hours or the annual assessment, and cannot be used as MOT training evidence. They can support a garage’s general health and safety training.
General information — always check DVSA’s current MOT guidance. This guide summarises DVSA and HSE guidance as checked on 19 October 2026; DVSA sets new topics and pass marks each training year. It applies to Great Britain, not Northern Ireland, and is not legal advice. Nexis CPD courses are CPD-accredited health and safety awareness training: they are not MOT tester training and do not count towards DVSA annual training or the annual assessment.