Guidance

Buy MOT slots for your test station

How to buy MOT slots for your MOT testing station, and how to pay by debit and credit card, Direct Debit and cheque or postal order.

From:
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency
Published
15 March 2015
Last updated
11 February 2016 — See all updates

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

The ‘pool’ system

Slot payments are managed at authorised examiner (AE) level through a ‘pool’ system within the MOT testing service.

Vehicle testing stations (VTSs) take from this ‘pool’ of slots which is monitored by AEs who can see who’s using slots and when.

Buy slots

You buy slots as and when you need them in any amount from 25 to 125,000 using the following payment methods:

  • debit and credit cards
  • Direct Debit
  • cheques and postal orders

How to buy slots

You need to be an authorised examiner designated manager (AEDM) or authorised examiner delegate (AED).

  1. Go to your MOT testing service homepage and click on the AE name link, for example, ‘John Smith Motors Ltd’.

  2. Go to the ‘Slots & Test Logs’ section and click the ‘Buy slots’ link.

  3. Follow the instructions to buy slots with a debit or credit card.

Don’t close your browser or hit the back button once you’ve started the payment process. This may delay your slot account being updated.

Pay by cheque or postal order

You need to fill in a form if you want to pay for MOT test slots by cheque or postal order.

Set up a Direct Debit

  1. Go to your MOT testing service homepage and click on the AE name link, for example ‘John Smith Motors Ltd’.

  2. Go to the ‘Direct Debit’ section and click the ‘Setup direct debit’ link.

  3. Follow the instructions to set up your Direct Debit.

It can take up to 5 working days for your slot account to be updated when you pay by Direct Debit.

DVSA can only take the instruction to set up a Direct Debit from one person. To ‘authorise’ this person, they could send:

  • an internal communication to the other parties on the account ‘to agree’
  • a letter to their own bank, authorising a single user to set up the Direct Debit on their behalf

Change your Direct Debit amount

You need to change your Direct Debit amount at least 10 working days ahead of your next monthly payment.

Slot management

The AEDM and AED roles are:

  • able to buy and manage slots
  • responsible for topping up your slot account

Allow someone to buy slots

  1. Go to your ‘Homepage’ and click on the AE name link, for example, ‘John Smith Motors Ltd’.

  2. Go to the ‘Roles’ section and click the ‘Assign a role’ link.

  3. Follow the instructions to give someone an AED role.

Slot balances are visible to a number of MOT testing service roles to make sure you can:

  • monitor your slot levels
  • stop them from running out

Help and support

Contact the MOT testing service desk to get help with your slot account or buying slots.

MOT testing service desk

Telephone 0330 123 5654

Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
(excluding public holidays)

Published 15 March 2015
Last updated 11 February 2016 + show all updates

  1. Update about debit and credit card payment issue.

  2. Updated to reflect switchover to MOT testing service.

  3. Added information under the 'Set up a Direct Debit' section about what the person setting up the Direct Debit can do to cover themselves.

  4. Added extra instructions on how to buy slots.

  5. Added link to cheque and postal order payment form.

  6. Added instructions on how to give someone a slot buying role.

  7. Added information about how to buy test slots using the MOT testing service.

  8. First published.

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