Could One Photograph Make The MOT System More Trustworthy?

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has begun the national rollout of a new feature that allows MOT testers to take and upload a photograph of a vehicle during its MOT test.

From 3rd August 2026, around 2,500 garages across Great Britain will begin using the new feature as part of a phased national rollout. Instead of relying solely on the information entered into the MOT testing service, testers can now take a photograph of the vehicle at the time of its inspection using a smartphone, tablet or another compatible mobile device.

According to the DVSA, the image is intended to provide additional evidence that the vehicle was physically present at the testing station when its MOT took place. It believes that this will help deter fraudulent MOT activity, reduce the risk of certificates being issued without a vehicle ever arriving at the garage, support vehicle identity verification and improve confidence in the MOT testing process. It also says the change supports wider road safety objectives.

Ghost MOTs

One of the biggest problems the new system hopes to address is ghost MOTs. These are when an MOT certificate is issued even though the vehicle was never actually inspected. While cases like this only represent a tiny fraction of the millions of MOTs carried out each year, they reduce confidence in the system and can allow unsafe vehicles to remain on the road.

A photograph doesn’t prove that every part of an MOT inspection has been completed correctly. However, it could make it significantly more difficult to claim a vehicle was tested if it never actually arrived at the garage in the first place.

Not Mandatory

It’s important to note that taking and uploading a photograph is not currently compulsory. Garages included in this phase of the rollout can still complete an MOT without uploading an image by selecting the appropriate reason within the MOT testing service. The DVSA says this approach recognises that some garages may need time to resolve issues such as equipment, connectivity or local IT arrangements before using the feature regularly.

However, the agency is encouraging testers to begin using the feature wherever possible to become familiar with the process, making it easier if photographs become mandatory in the future.

Built On Earlier Trials

The national rollout follows trials involving 311 garages. According to the DVSA, feedback from MOT testers was overwhelmingly positive, with many reporting that the feature was straightforward to use and had little or no impact on testing times. The trials also helped improve the upload process before the wider rollout began.

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