The UK Government automatically provided a 6 month MOT extension to cars that had an MOT expiry date between 31st March 2020 to 31st July 2020. So, for example, if your car MOT was due on 1st April 2020, you had until 1st October to get a new MOT certificate.
As of 1st August 2020, all cars were required to book an MOT, by law, on or before their original expiry date as the MOT extension ended. This means that there are significantly less MOT tests between April to July and significantly more between August and December.
Millions of MOTs were missed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting restrictions, which means that MOT garages are likely to be extremely busy between August and December for years to come. This will make it extremely difficult to find last-minute availability, so you may wish to consider booking your car’s MOT well in advance to avoid the risk of your MOT running out before you can get a test.