All cars, vans and motorcycles which usually would require an MoT test will be exempted from needing a test from Monday, March 30 2020 for six months, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has announced.

Coronavirus cells close upThe move follows the suspension of MoTs for all HGVs, trailers and public service vehicles for up to three months from March 21, 2020.

Vehicles must be kept in a roadworthy condition, and garages will remain open for essential repair work. Drivers can be prosecuted if at the wheel of an unsafe vehicles.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “We must ensure those on the frontline of helping the nation combat Covid-19 are able to do so.

“Allowing this temporary exemption from vehicle testing will enable vital services such as deliveries to continue, frontline workers to get to work, and people to get essential food and medicine. Safety is key, which is why garages will remain open for essential repair work.”

Drivers will still need to get their vehicle tested until the new regulations come into place, if they need to use it.

If drivers cannot get an MoT that’s due because they are in self-isolation, the Department for Transport is working with insurers and the police to ensure people are not unfairly penalised for things out of their control.

Full details are available here.