Premium car owners more likely to get MoT done despite extension

Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi drivers most likely to have had their car MoT'd during the coronavirus lockdown.

Despite the six-month rolling MoT extension from 30 March, which was introduced by the Government in order to reduce traffic during the lockdown, around a quarter of vehicle owners have decided that they still want the reassurance of a physical MoT, according to new research by Kwik Fit.

The study reveals that of the UK’s most popular 20 car marques, it is the premium German brands which are most likely to have been taken for an MoT test during the lockdown period in April and May.

For these brands, approximately one in three vehicles receiving an MoT extension have also been taken for physical test. The top five is completed by MINI and Fiat. 

At the other end of the scale, just one in five Hondas (21 per cent) with their MoT expiring in April and May were taken for a test, with the majority of their owners content with the automatic extension.

However, the brands that round off the bottom of the 20 vehicle brands are also those with high levels of perceived reliability, so owners likely don't see the need for a physical MoT on top of the extension. For example, in 2019, over one million Toyota were MoT'd, with 70 per cent passing - according to the Honest John MoT Files.