Lorry and Coach Annual Test
- Booking your test
- What to expect when taking a vehicle to the Test Station
- Must I bring any specific paperwork?
- What does the test cover?
- What happens at the end of the test?
- How does VOSA maintain test quality?
- Additional Information
The lorry and bus annual test is similar to the MOT test that cars, light goods vehicles and motorcycles must complete each year. The following types of goods vehicles require a test:
- motor vehicles with a design gross weight which exceeds 3500kg
- all motor vehicles constructed or adapted for the purpose of forming part of an articulated vehicle
- semi-trailers
- converter dollies of any unladen weight manufactured on or after 1st January 1979
- trailers, not being converter dollies or semi-trailers, the unladen weight of which exceeds 1020 kilograms.
All buses with more than 8 passenger seats must have a bus annual test. Buses are passenger vehicles used for hire and reward. Large passenger vehicle which are used privately will have to have an MOT test. This will be a Class V test for vehicles with 13 or more passenger seats and a Class IV test in other cases. See MOT Testing
Annual tests are required one year after registration for lorry and buses and one year after the date first sold or supplied by retail for trailers.
Booking your test
You must make a booking before presenting your vehicle for test. Bookings can be made directly at any station by phone, fax or letter or they can be booked centrally. See Vehicle Testing Stations and Garages. You will be asked for the vehicle registration number, vehicle class, how many axles it has (for lorries) and how many seats it has (for buses/coaches). The fee for the test must be paid at least 7 working days before the test date.
What to expect when taking a vehicle to the Test Station
Most VOSA Test Stations are built to a standard design - with a reception and a number of test lanes. On arrival, park in the designated area and report to reception. After you have informed the booking clerk of your arrival, you should wait in your vehicle just outside the test hall, or behind the next vehicle in line, until an inspector asks you to move forward. Throughout the test the presenter of the vehicle drives the vehicle - directed by the member of staff conducting the test.
Must I bring any specific paperwork?
If you have an appointment letter bring it with you together with the last Annual Test Certificate for that vehicle. For goods vehicles you should also bring the Plating Certificate for the vehicle (form VTG 7,7A or 7T showing the operating weights for the vehicle. If you have not already paid for your test you will be asked to pay now. Once the paperwork is complete the booking clerk will direct you to one of the test lanes.
What does the test cover?
The test consists of four distinct parts:
- Stage A : Topside (usually outside)
- Stage B : Underside (over the pit)
- Stage C : Lights
- Stage D : Roller Brake Test
At intervals during the test the inspector will ask you to do certain things with the controls of the vehicle - such as rocking the steering and depressing the brake pedal. If you are unsure of what the inspector means or have not been to one of our test stations before, please let the inspector know.
Full details of what is tested can be found in the Heavy Goods Vehicle Inspection Manual and the Public Services Inspection Manual. These can be obtained from VOSA Test Stations, from VOSA at Welcombe House, 91-92 The Strand, Swansea, SA1 2DH or from Stationery Office suppliers. Additional details can be found on the VOSA website.
What happens at the end of the test?
At the end of the test the inspector will instruct you to move the vehicle from the end of the test lane to the parking area. You should then go to the reception office where you will be given your test certificate, if the test was successful, or a copy of the test card which gives details of the failure items if your vehicle failed the test. The test station staff will also give you a copy of the smoke test report and the brake test report if you ask for these.
How does VOSA maintain test quality?
VOSA measure the quality of annual tests by monitoring the test error rate. This measures the number of incorrect decisions that we make in conducting tests and is expressed as a percentage of all test items checked. VOSA Corporate Policies and Standards
set our percentage aim for the year, which we report on in our Effectiveness Report (copies available in our Corporate Reports profile).
Additional Information
Headlamp Aim Research Project
Following representations from the truck and bus industry, the Cabinet Office’s Better Regulation Team requested that VOSA investigate the causes of the high headlamp aim failure rate for trucks and buses. This report summarises VOSA’s investigations of the issue and explains the factors affecting headlamp aim and issues for further consideration.
Lorry and Bus Annual Test Statistics
Detailed tables listing annual test results from April 2002. This includes information on failure rates and regional fleet trends. Additional information can also be found in the Effectiveness Report (see VOSA’s Corporate Reports), a statistical document on all of the activities undertaken by VOSA.
Page last updated: 25/04/2006