Currently all Private Hire Vehicles that are more than 12 months old must pass 2 MOT tests per year, which is one every 6 months. This is different from normal vehicles, as they only need to pass their MOT once a year.
What’s checked on a MOT test?
An MOT test is a regular vehicle health check which helps determine if your vehicle is road safe for the UK roads. Drivers can get an MOT done at a MOT garage, where they will check the vehicle registration to identify the car. They will then test things like brakes, steering, visibility, lamps, axled, wheels, tyres, suspension, exhaust emissions, body structure, vehicle mileage and seat belts.
The information is collected by an MOT mechanic using specialist tools and then all this information gets logged on the DVSA database and you either get a pass or fail certificate. If you fail, you will be told what things to fix to pass and then you have some time to make the fixes, followed by a re-test.
As time has gone by, some people have found ways to cheat the system and due to this, the DVSA has decided to trial some new rules for MOT in 2025.
New MOT photograph rule 2025
One of the ways people would cheat their MOT is by not actually attending an MOT test. This is called Ghost MOT’s where a test is done without the vehicle being at the garage, but a valid certificate is still issued by the MOT garage by using a different vehicle to pass the MOT test.
To stop this from happening, the DVSA will be trialling a new MOT photograph where the MOT tester must take a photo of the vehicle and its vehicle registration number while in the MOT garages testing area.
This is what the new section of the DVSA MOT test photograph will look like.
The new MOT photograph will be trialled at selected MOT garages and after the trial has ended the DVSA will decide if it is a viable addition to roll out to all MOT garages.
For PHV drivers the new MOT photographs will ensure a fair and even playing field as the drivers who are getting their vehicles passed in a fraudulent way will be forced to fix their vehicles, which in turn will make roads safer for everyone.
As you should know from reading and understanding the PHV driver handbook created by TfL for Private Hire drivers, that in order to be a licensed PHV driver you must have insurance, a current MOT certificate to ensure your vehicle is not faulty and safe to drive.
This kind of information is important to know in order to pass the TfL SERU assessment, so make sure you read the PHV driver handbook and take a SERU mock test before you attempt your final SERU assessment with TfL.
