The Driver and Vehicles Standards Agency (DVSA) have made changes to their MOT reminder service that more than five million drivers have signed up for.

The service, which launched in 2017, sends prompts to drivers one month before their MOT is due, reminding them to take their vehicle for a test on time.

If you are caught driving with an expired or invalid MOT certificate, you could be fined up to £1,000.

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In new changes to the DVSA MOT reminder service, which launched this week, drivers will no longer get unnecessary reminders for vehicles they no longer own. Instead, we’ll prompt them to update their reminder to their new vehicle.

The DVSA says the changes will improve the experience for drivers signed up to the service, as well as keeping vehicles on the roads safe to drive.

How you can avoid MOT fines

Find out when your MOT is due

As soon as your car hits three years-old, it will need an MOT before its birthday each year.

You can easily check when your MOT is due using your number plate on GOV.UK.

You can undertake your MOT test up to a month (minus a day) before its expiry date while still preserving its annual due date.

Set up a reminder

Simply set a reminder on your email calendar - or in Great Britain, you can sign up online to get a free text or email reminder one month before your vehicle’s MOT is due.

In Northern Ireland you’ll get a letter in the post seven weeks before your MOT is due.

Create a car contingency account

Cars are expensive – there’s no denying that – and MOTs can throw up unexpected repair costs in order to pass.

It’s a good idea to set up a car contingency savings account; putting aside a little each month to spread the costs and make sure you can afford any unexpected nasty surprises.

Shop around for your MOT

Just as you should shop around for a cheaper premium on your car insurance, you can also compare prices for your MOT.

The maximum price of an MOT is £54.85 for a car and £29.65 for a standard motorcycle.

But many garages will offer it cheaper than this – especially if bought in conjunction with your regular servicing.