DVSA steps up efforts to tackle MOT fraud

Agency uses technology and prosecutions to combat malpractice and protect road safety

DVSA steps up efforts to tackle MOT fraud

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is increasing its efforts to combat MOT fraud, including the use of advanced technology and a rise in prosecutions. The DVSA’s mission is to keep Britain’s roads safe, and it relies on the MOT test to ensure over 32 million vehicles meet roadworthiness standards annually.

The agency has seen a steady increase in successful prosecutions for serious MOT fraud, rising from 20 cases in 2021-2022 to 32 in 2024-2025. Additionally, the DVSA stops testing at approximately 300 garages each year due to non-compliance and fraud.

One of the most serious offences the DVSA has identified is “ghost MOTs,” where a fraudulent tester issues a pass certificate for a vehicle they have not physically inspected. The DVSA is now using artificial intelligence to flag suspicious activity and ANPR cameras to verify if a vehicle was present at a garage during a test. A trial that requires photos of vehicles at the time of their MOT is also underway to help tackle this issue.

The case of Neil Gabbott at Swansey MOT Centre in Chorley serves as a recent example of the DVSA’s determination to prosecute offenders. Gabbott issued ten fraudulent MOT certificates and was subsequently suspended from testing duties, with his testing station shut down. He received a 12-month community order and was ordered to pay over £2,000 in costs and surcharges.

The DVSA states that these actions are intended to protect the reputation of the majority of law-abiding MOT testers and to ensure public confidence in the MOT system.

For more information on the DVSA’s site visits, you can read their blog here.

To learn more about how they combat fraud and error click here.

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