Do I Have to Fix MOT Advisories?

No, you are not legally required to fix an MOT advisory. Your car has passed its MOT, so it is roadworthy and legal to drive. However, advisories flag real defects that are developing, and ignoring them can mean a failure at the next test, a higher repair bill, or a safety risk in the meantime.

What an Advisory Actually Means

The DVSA uses three defect categories for MOT failures: dangerous and major both result in a fail, while minor defects produce a pass with a note on the certificate. Advisories sit outside the failure categories entirely. They are items the tester has spotted that are not yet bad enough to fail but are worth monitoring.

Common examples include:

• Tyre tread approaching the legal minimum of 1.6 mm
• Slight corrosion on brake discs or callipers
• A small oil leak that is not yet dripping
• Minor play in a steering or suspension component
• A windscreen chip outside the primary vision zone

None of these stop your car passing today. All of them can become a failure item, or worse, by next year.

What the Law Does and Does Not Require

The MOT certificate confirms the vehicle met the minimum standard on the day of the test. Once you drive away, the certificate does not guarantee continued roadworthiness. Under the Road Traffic Act 1988 you must not use a vehicle on a public road in a dangerous condition, regardless of whether it holds a valid MOT. So if an advisory deteriorates to the point of being dangerous, driving it becomes an offence even with a current certificate.

In short: not fixing an advisory is not automatically illegal, but letting it become dangerous is.

Should You Fix Them Before or After the Test?

If you already know about a developing problem before the MOT, it is often worth having it looked at first. A tester who spots the same item getting worse year on year is more likely to move it from advisory to failure. More practically, a tyre that scrapes through at 2 mm this October will almost certainly fail next October.

If the advisory appears on a fresh certificate, you have time, but not unlimited time.

How to Prioritise Advisories

Not all advisories carry the same urgency. A rough guide:

Advisory type	Urgency	Reason
Tyre tread near 1.6 mm	High	Safety and legal limit, fails next MOT
Brake wear near limits	High	Safety critical
Steering or suspension play	Medium to high	Can worsen quickly, safety impact
Minor oil seep	Medium	Monitor, repair if it worsens
Corroded but solid bodywork	Low to medium	Structural if it spreads
Windscreen chip (outside A zone)	Low	Stable if not spreading

Get a second opinion from a trusted garage if you are unsure how urgent a specific item is. Ask the tester, too. They are not always forthcoming unless you ask directly, but they can tell you whether something is borderline or just worth watching.

Advisories and Buying a Used Car

If you are buying a used car, pull up the full DVSA MOT history before you hand over any money. The MOT history and current tax status are free to check at BeakCheck using just the registration number. Look for:

• The same advisory appearing on two or three consecutive certificates. That suggests the owner has been ignoring it.
• A failure followed by a retest on the same item, with no advisory on subsequent tests. That suggests it was repaired properly.
• Mileage at each test. If the mileage between two tests appears to go down, that is a serious clocking red flag.

Persistent brake or suspension advisories on a high-mileage diesel in particular deserve a proper inspection before purchase.

Advisories and Selling a Car

If you are selling, fixing advisories before advertising the car is usually worth it. Buyers will check the MOT history, they will see the advisories, and they will use them to negotiate the price down. A fresh MOT with a clean certificate is a stronger selling point than a cheap asking price with a list of known problems attached to it.

How Long Does Your MOT Last?

An MOT is required three years after a new vehicle is first registered, then every year after that. The certificate covers the car, not the owner, and does not transfer when the car is sold. If you are buying a used car with eleven months left on the MOT, you still inherit any advisories, so factor in the likely repair cost.

The Practical Next Step

Read the advisory wording on your MOT certificate carefully. The language is standardised. If you are not sure what a phrase means, search the gov.uk MOT result checker using your registration, which shows the full history and the exact advisory text. Then get a quote from a garage for any safety-critical items. Advisories cost nothing to ignore today and sometimes a great deal to fix tomorrow.