DVSA Now Photographs Your Car at Its MOT: What Photos at Test Means for the Record
DVSA began the national rollout of Photos at Test on 3 August 2026. Optional for now, the image proves the car was present and ties the MOT record to cloning checks and 2028 pay-per-mile tax.
By Jamie Dawson · Editor
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Updated 12 Oct 2026
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7 min read
Since 3 August 2026, MOT testers at around 2,500 garages across Great Britain have been able to photograph your car in the test bay and attach the image to its MOT record. DVSA announced the national rollout of "Photos at Test" in special notice 04-26 on 29 July 2026 and set out the detail on its Matters of Testing blog on 14 August. The photo is optional for now. Its job is to prove the vehicle was physically present when the pass was issued, and it adds a new item to the file that sits behind every MOT certificate.
What changed, and when
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 30 June 2025 | DVSA publishes results of the first six-week "Images in Garages" trial: 62 garages, just over 170 testers, more than 13,000 photos |
| 28 August 2025 | DVSA fraud post confirms a photo trial is running alongside AI monitoring and ANPR checks of vehicle presence |
| 17 June 2026 | Special notice 03-26: security card sign-in ends 25 June; from 1 July "vehicle and/or tester not present on the premises" joins the fast-track disciplinary list |
| 1 July 2026 | Matters of Testing confirms the national rollout, not mandatory at first; a digital VT01 service is also coming |
| 29 July 2026 | Special notice 04-26: national rollout of Photos at Test from 3 August, first phase about 2,500 garages |
| 3 August 2026 | Rollout begins |
| 14 August 2026 | Blog post: trials covered over 300 garages and 60,000 images at a 92 per cent success rate; all sites expected to have access "over the next few months" |
| 28 August 2026 | DVSA bulletin: vehicle standards assessors can now add up to 10 seconds of video of a dangerous defect at HGV and PSV annual tests |
What is photographed, and when
One photograph of the vehicle, taken while it is on the test equipment. DVSA's guidance is specific: the image should not be blurred or distorted, it should "clearly show the vehicle in the testing bay", and the number plate must be completely legible and visible. The photo is taken at the start of a test and at a retest. For a retest on minor items such as bulbs or wipers, DVSA has said the picture should still clearly show the vehicle at the test station.
The tester uses a phone or tablet. If the test was started on a desktop, the MOT testing service shows a QR code that hands the camera step to a mobile device; on a phone or tablet the photo is uploaded directly during vehicle registration. No separate app is involved. The image goes straight into the MOT testing service and is not saved to the device's camera roll or gallery. There is no image recognition of plates in this first phase.
The test itself is unchanged. The photograph does not replace any inspection item, and DVSA reports that trial tests stayed at around 40 minutes, with retests only slightly longer.
Optional today, possibly mandatory later
Special notice 04-26 says "at this stage, taking and uploading photos is optional". A tester who cannot take a photo selects a reason in the service and records the result as normal. The notice encourages garages to start now so that the transition is easier "if photos at test become mandatory in the future". DVSA has told testers it has no timescale for that decision and that photo uploads have no effect on a garage's risk rating. As of 12 October 2026 the position is recommended, not required.
Who can see the photo
The photograph is held in the MOT testing service against the vehicle's test record. DVSA says access is limited to authorised users of the service with the right permissions and a business need. Authorised examiners, designated managers and site managers can see in the test logs whether a photo was uploaded and, if not, the reason given.
The public cannot see it. The MOT history service shows test results, mileage, defects and advisories, and with the 11-digit V5C number the test location and certificate, but not the image. If you need to prove your car was at a particular garage on a particular day, your own photo of the car on the ramp is still the record you control.
Why DVSA wants the picture: ghost MOTs
A ghost MOT is "when a fraudulent MOT tester provides an MOT pass certificate for a vehicle that they have not seen". DVSA calls it one of the most serious offences a tester can commit. In February 2025 the RAC reported DVSA's estimate that ghost MOTs made up 80 per cent of fraudulent certificates. DVSA's August 2025 fraud post gave 32 successful prosecutions for MOT malpractice in 2024 to 2025, up from 18 two years earlier, and said it stops testing at around 300 garages a year, much of it with an element of fraud.
The photo is one of four tools. AI monitoring flags suspect patterns on the testing service for review. ANPR cameras check whether the vehicle was near the garage at the recorded time. Site visits follow up. From 1 July 2026 the disciplinary side hardened too: special notice 03-26 added "a vehicle and/or tester is not present on the premises" to the fast-track list, carrying 100 points where the evidence is uncontested. The photograph turns a question that previously needed ANPR or a site visit into a timestamped item on the record.
A ghost MOT is also the mechanism behind many clocked cars. A certificate issued for a car nobody inspected carries a mileage nobody read.
The number plate in the frame
The plate must be legible in the photo, and DVSA's 2025 trial report flagged automatic plate capture as a future option, noting that any such software would need to exclude plates on neighbouring vehicles. Special notice 04-26 lists "support vehicle identity verification" among the aims.
That matters for cloning. A cloned car is a stolen vehicle wearing a legitimate registration, and until now the MOT record was a text entry that a clone could acquire as easily as the real car. A photograph of the car that was actually tested, with its plate, gives DVSA a visual record that can be compared against the genuine vehicle if a dispute arises. On 5 September 2026 the Department for Transport announced that the National Roads Policing Coordination Centre is leading a crackdown on cloned, "ghost" and missing plates, with DVSA and DVLA support. The MOT photo and the roadside operation are two ends of the same evidence chain.
The mileage link: 2028 eVED
From 1 April 2028 the government will charge electric and plug-in hybrid cars per mile, and the MOT odometer reading is the figure DVLA will use to reconcile what the keeper declared. Our guide to eVED and the odometer record covers the rates and the new offences. The point for this article is narrower: a verified MOT mileage is only worth something if the car was in the bay when the tester typed it. Photos at Test is the step that makes the presence of the vehicle, and therefore the reading, provable. DVSA's own 2025 trial report listed "capturing mileage or defect images" among possible future uses of the same camera step.
Heavy vehicles: video of dangerous defects
On 28 August 2026 DVSA told operators that vehicle standards assessors can now record up to 10 seconds of video of a dangerous defect at an HGV or PSV annual test, using the in-app camera of the Vehicle Testing App, where a still image does not show the problem clearly. The clip attaches to the test record on DVSA's internal Vehicle Testing Management platform and can be viewed only by assessors, and only for the retest period. DVSA's stated aim is faster handling of disputes and appeals. Operators who keep a driver defect and maintenance file should note that the evidence against a vehicle at annual test can now be moving pictures, and that it will not be available to them after the retest window closes.
What you can check yourself
The public MOT history service, and our free checker built on the same DVSA data, shows every test since 2005 for cars and vans: pass or fail, mileage at each test, failure items and advisories, and the next due date. With the 11-digit document reference from your V5C you can also see where each test was done and download the certificate, which is why a lost paper certificate barely matters. What you should look for after a test is simple: that the test date and mileage match your own record, that the garage named is the one you used, and that any advisories are ones you were told about. A test you did not book, at a garage you have never visited, is the signature of a ghost MOT or a clone, and the time to report it is the day you see it.
Records you must keep
- ✓Your own dated photograph of the car on the ramp or in the bay, with the plate visible, each time it is tested.
- ✓A photograph of the odometer on the day of the test, so your reading and the certificate agree.
- ✓The booking confirmation or invoice naming the garage and date.
- ✓The MOT history printout or PDF after each test, checked against the above.
- ✓The V5C document reference number, which unlocks test location and certificate downloads.
- ✓For HGV and PSV operators, the annual test report and any retest paperwork, since DVSA's video is not released to you.
Frequently asked questions
Can I refuse to have my car photographed at its MOT?
The photo is taken by the tester as part of DVSA's testing service and is optional for the garage, not the motorist. It shows the vehicle in the bay, not the driver. If a garage has adopted it, treat it as part of the test.
Can I get a copy of the photo?
Not through the MOT history service, which does not display images. Access is restricted to authorised users of the MOT testing service. Take your own.
Does the photo affect whether my car passes?
No. It is evidence of presence, not an inspection item. Special notice 04-26 says a tester who cannot upload a photo is not prevented from recording the result.
Will every garage be taking photos?
The first phase from 3 August 2026 covers about 2,500 garages. DVSA says all testing sites should have access over the following months, with further phases reviewed as they go. Taking the photo remains optional until DVSA decides otherwise.
Why does this matter for an electric car?
From April 2028 the MOT odometer reading becomes the figure DVLA uses to reconcile pay-per-mile tax. A photographed, present vehicle makes that reading harder to fake and easier to defend.