How to Check for MOT Cancellations NI — Two Different Methods Covered
Let’s be honest, dealing with MOT testing on a yearly basis sucks. No way around that. However, it sucks even more when the earliest booking you can get interferes with your daily schedule or you have to drive hours to the test centre. Not fun.
Although we can’t avoid getting an MOT test, we can avoid dealing with super inconvenient bookings and instead pick and choose our desired date, test centre and time of day of the booking. We can do this by looking for MOT cancellations that occur and we can swoop in and get those for ourselves. I will cover 2 main ways you can find NI MOT cancellations.
Let’s get started!
The Manual Way: Check the DVA Website for Cancellations
The first approach we are going to cover is manually checking the NI Direct website for new cancellations that better fit your requirements. The process for this looks like the following (this assumes you already have a booking):
- Navigate to the bookings website
- Input your car info and other information
- Select your desired test centre and see if there are any better dates/times
- Repeat this process until you come across a booking that gets canceled
As you can imagine, this is a very hit or miss approach to finding a new MOT booking date and will also require some dedication to checking the website frequently. The other downside to this aside from it being a lot of work, is that you are more than likely going to have to sacrifice some aspect of your booking. You might get your desired test centre, but the date might not be ideal and the time of day isn’t great. It will be very hard to find a new MOT booking that checks every box for you.
However, if you have the time and are willing to dedicate effort to this you might be able to snag a booking but just be ready to compromise on some aspects. Another option you have is to call them and ask if they have any sooner appointments for you. They might have access to data that isn't shown online, but this will still be hit or miss. If you want to try calling you can do so using this number: 0300 200 7862
The Automated Way: Use MOT Hub
If you are looking for a hands off approach that will find you your exact desired new booking date and test centre then using MOT Hub is going to be your best bet. They will automatically scan for cancellations that match your desired criteria and once they find one we will instantly book it for you. Once booked, they will send you an email and text that contains all of your new booking info. Simple as that!
The process is very straightforward as well:
- Head over to MOT Hub
- Enter your current MOT booking details
- Choose your desired test centre
- Choose a new date and times
- They will do the hard work from there and notify you when we find you a new booking!
Example
Let’s run through a quick example. In this example, the earliest booking you could find is for 1/7 but your MOT expires 1/6. The test centre you got was in Ballymena but you live in Armagh. It is also in the morning but you want it in the afternoon because it works better with your schedule.
You could then setup a request on MOT Hub that looks for a booking between 20/5–25/5, at the Armagh test centre and only look for afternoon cancellations. MOT Hub would then begin scanning for cancellations that meet your criteria. After a few days of searching they were able to find you a new booking for 23/5, in Armagh and in the morning. Exactly what you were looking for.
How Much Does it Cost?
The cost for this service is £12.99 and the best part is that if they dont find you a new booking you will get 100% of your money back.
Using MOT Hub isnt for everyone. If you wish to save a few quid then the manual approach we outlined above is going to be your best bet.
Is MOT Hub Legit?
They have found thousands of people a new MOT booking the past few years and these people keep coming back year after year when they have a new MOT booking. You can also see for yourself all of the customer reviews for MOT hub here — https://mot-hub.co.uk/reviews
Some Things to Keep in Mind
Here are some things for you to keep in mind when you are trying to find MOT cancellations.
Don’t Freak Out if You Can’t Get an Appointment Before it Expires
There is a massive backlog of bookings so it is very common for the earliest booking you can get is after your MOT expires. As of writing this, you will not be penalised as long as you meet the following requirements:
This is not to say that you shouldn’t still attempt to find a booking before it expires, but if it does happen you won’t get in any trouble as long as you meet the above requirements.
Last Minute Booking Changes Could Incur Fees
If you are manually trying to find cancellations for your MOT booking it is important to know that if you change your booking within a few days of the actual booking date you will be recharged for the test. The chart below will help you determine this cut off date:
You can modify your booking prior to these cut off dates and in this case your original charge for your MOT test will carry over to the new one. MOT Hub will automatically take these cut off dates into account so you will never be double charged.
Wrapping it Up
That does it! Hope you enjoyed and have learned how to effectively find MOT cancellations using one of the above methods.