An MOT is not a service
They get booked together and talked about together, but they are two different jobs — one is the law, the other is upkeep.
An MOT checks
- Whether the car meets the legal minimum, today
- Lights, tyres, brakes, structure, emissions, visibility
- Nothing that isn't safety-related
- Pass or fail, and it's a legal requirement
A service covers
- Oil and filter changes, on a schedule
- Fluid levels — coolant, brake fluid, screenwash
- Wear items before they fail an MOT
- No pass/fail — it's maintenance, not law
The checks you can do yourself
Tap a check for how it's done and what it needs. Where a tool genuinely helps there's a link — none of this is expensive.
Tyre pressure
2 minutes, do it cold
- Find the correct pressure for your car — it's on a sticker inside the driver's door frame or in the handbook, not on the tyre itself.
- Check when the tyres are cold — ideally before you've driven more than a mile or two.
- Most petrol stations have a free or coin-operated air pump with a built-in gauge, or use your own.
- Don't forget the spare, if you've got one.