More than 7 million people missed their MOT renewal last year

Over seven million motorists in 2019 risked a £1,000 fine by missing their MOT renewal, according to new data.

Of these drivers, 81%renewed within three months of their expiry date, with MOTs expiring in May the least likely to be renewed on time.

Insurance comparison site MoneySupermarket analysed data from the DVSA, DVLA and Department of Transport, and also found that 634,000 untaxed vehicles were on the road last year.

1. London – 47,642
2. East of England – 22,164
3. North West – 19,555

Meanwhile, 2.3 million UK adults were driving without a valid licence, having not updated them to their latest details. Each of these offences also risk a fine of up to £1,000.

In 2019, there were a total of 160,000 fines issued for driving licence, insurance and record-keeping offences, with London seeing the highest number of fines with almost 30% of infringements.

The north-east saw the fewest fines, representing just 2% of the UK total.

Dave Merrick, car insurance spokesperson for MoneySuperMarket, said: “It can be easy to forget things like MOT, insurance or tax. We encourage everyone to keep track of their renewal days, and actively set reminders if you need a little help.”