Beige mascot on a mechanic's creeper sliding under the front of a van, holding up a spanner

Van MOT rules: when the first one is due and how often after

Short answer: the first MOT is due three years after the van was first registered, then every 12 months. Which test it needs depends on one number in your logbook.

Or skip the working-out. The Beige Fleet & Driver Compliance Tracker holds every van's MOT date and emails you sixty days before it expires. The rest of this page is the detail.

Class 4 or Class 7

Vans are split by design gross weight, not by size or badge:

Class 4: goods vehicles up to 3,000kg design gross weight. This also covers cars, so most car-derived vans sit here.
Class 7: goods vehicles from 3,001kg up to 3,500kg design gross weight.

Both follow the same schedule: first test at three years, then annually. The practical difference is that not every garage is licensed for Class 7, so a 3.5 tonne van needs a test station that can take it. Worth knowing before the week it expires.

Finding your design gross weight

Open the V5C logbook and look at box J, design gross weight, sometimes shown as DGW or MAM. That number decides the MOT class, and it is also what determines whether tachograph rules can apply. Do not guess it from the model name.

What a lapse costs

Driving without a valid MOT can bring a fine of up to £1,000. If the vehicle is in a dangerous condition, that rises to up to £2,500, plus penalty points and a possible disqualification.

The bigger risk is quieter. Insurance can be affected where a vehicle is not roadworthy or has no valid MOT, so a lapsed test can turn a claim into an argument. For a business running several vans, that is the number that actually hurts.

The bit fleets get wrong

An MOT is not a service, and passing one does not mean the van is well maintained. It is a snapshot on a single day. Keep servicing on its own schedule, and keep safety inspections on theirs, rather than treating the MOT as the annual once-over. See our fleet compliance deadlines guide for the whole set.

The other common miss is renewal drift. If you test early, the expiry date can move, and a fleet that books tests whenever someone remembers ends up with twelve unrelated dates. One list, checked automatically, solves it.

For the whole picture, see our fleet compliance deadlines guide, or let the Beige Fleet & Driver Compliance Tracker keep the dates for you.

Last reviewed: July 2026. General information, not legal advice.