Guidance

Historic (classic) vehicles: MOT exemption criteria

Check if a historic vehicle qualifies for an MOT exemption due to its age.

• From: Department for Transport
• Published: 20 May 2018
• Last updated: 19 May 2026
  Show all updates

  1. 19 May 2026

     Clarifying that vehicles are exempt from MOT testing if they are over 40 years old and have not been substantially changed in the last 30 years.

  2. 10 March 2026

     Added information about substantial changes.

  3. 20 May 2018

     First published.

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

Documents

Historic (classic) vehicles: MOT exemption criteria

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A vehicle does not need an MOT if:

• it was built or first registered more than 40 years ago
• no substantial changes have been made to the vehicle in the last 30 years

Such vehicles are known as ‘vehicles of historical interest’.

This guidance explains the exemption criteria so you can understand if your vehicle needs to get an MOT or not.