Motorists are increasingly leaving their MOT booking until after the expiry date, according to latest figures released by the UK’s leading comparison site for MOTs, services and repairs, BookMyGarage.
A significant proportion are also putting off their MOT appointment. A year ago, almost six in ten drivers booked their MOT at least four weeks before it was due whereas in the latest three-month period, the figure fell to fewer than four in ten.
The data also suggests that reminders can play an important role in helping motorists stay compliant. Customers who received MOT reminder communications were 55% less likely to have an expired MOT when arranging their next test, indicating that missed deadlines may often be caused by motorists simply losing track of the date rather than intentionally delaying their booking.
In light of the Government announcement in reviewing tougher punishments for those driving without a valid MOT for which the conclusion is imminent, BookMyGarage delved into its extensive data to understand consumer behaviours driving MOT bookings on its platform and found a worrying but consistent trend of overdue and late MOT bookings.
The proportion of drivers booking an MOT after it had expired increased by around 60% year-on-year, rising from 10.3% a year ago to 16.6% in the latest three-month period.
New analysis of a sample size of more than 350,000 MOT bookings across a full 12-month dataset found that overall, almost one in seven drivers (13.44%) booked after their MOT had expired, a further 4.3% had a valid MOT at the time of booking which became overdue by the time of the appointment whilst one in five (20.32%) booked within two weeks of expiry.
A further telling and worrying trend is the decline in motorists booking their MOT well in advance, suggesting motorists are putting off not just the cost of the test itself, but the possibility of repairs required to obtain the certificate.
The proportion of motorists booking at least four weeks before their MOT due date fell from 59.3% to 38.1% year-on-year.
Looking at the full year, 66.24% of motorists still booked while their MOT had more than two weeks remaining, while 50.5% booked at least four weeks before their MOT was due. However, only 9.47% secured an appointment more than four weeks in advance, suggesting that even drivers who are aware of their deadline increasingly prefer to book much closer to their chosen test date.
Drivers whose MOTs were overdue did move much faster, typically booking an appointment just 3.4 days later, compared with 10.9 days across the sample bookings.
Chief marketing officer Jessica Ruddick said: “Obviously, the rising proportion of expired MOT bookings is cause for concern, and drivers with expired MOTs seek appointments three times faster than average so garages will need to factor this into their workshop planning and marketing strategy moving forward. We urge garages to make as many last-minute bookings available as possible. Our data illustrates how savvy garage owners meet this growing demand providing a way to fill empty slots to avoid losing revenue, perhaps where their own customers have cancelled at short notice. Our data also shows that vehicles booked after their MOT has expired tend to be slightly older than those booked before the deadline, which typically means a higher frequency of advisory items and remedial work. That creates a valuable revenue opportunity for garages that can accommodate urgent bookings at short notice.”
She added “There is also a safety implication, but the findings also point to an opportunity for garages to address this in customer communications. MOT reminders sent well in advance of customers’ MOT due dates, encourage more timely bookings. Our data shows that motorists who received an MOT reminder were 55% less likely to have an expired MOT when arranging their next test, suggesting that forgotten deadlines and busy schedules may be just as important a factor as cost or reluctance to book.”
