Does your spare tyre need to be there to pass an MOT?

Answer 1

yes it does

Answer 2

No, in the UK it does not need to be present, and does not need to be roadworthy.

From The AA: "A spare tyre is not a testable item in the MOT test". See:
http://www.theaa.com/allaboutcars/legal/tyres.html

According to MOT Test UK, "The condition of the spare tyre is not part of the MOT." See:
http://www.motester.co.uk/cog.html

The RAC also agrees "The examination of the tyres does not include the spare.". See: http://www.motester.co.uk/cog.html

While a spare tyre doesn't have to be roadworthy while it isn't in use, as soon as you put it on the car it has to adhere to the usual rules. This means if your spare tyre is bald and you then have to use it, you are breaking the law. It is always worth keeping a roadworthy spare in your car.

Answer 3

Some cares don't even have spares, they either have runflat tyres or a can of gunky stuff to get you home.

The general veiwpoint regarding spares and MOT's is No you dont need one If Your spare contravenes the tyre law then it doesn't mean you'll fail your MOT, BUT The moment you have a puncture and fit it to your vehicle then you are breaking the law. Fir the sake of a few quid I'd advise getting a new one

Answer 4

no it does not , but you might be told to change it if it is and not road legal, they should be able to do this for you , ive been driving for 20 years nearly and allways have a very good spare , my thinking is if you need to change a front tyre and put a bad tyre on ie bald and it rains the car might just not get around the next corner, the way you intended, you could "lose control"and you will need more than a spare tyre , front tyres to me are more important than rear tyres especially if car is front wheel drive , but that is just my thoughts and are not set in stone i guess other people would say if car is rear wheel drive good tyres are need there more than front , but when you brake all the weight goes on to front tyres and if they dont grip , pray ,so that is why spare tyres should be allways good , regardless of mot or not the car should carry one

Answer 5

The MOT only tests legal requirements, and as there is no legal requirement for a car to have a spare tyre, it is not part of the test.

Answer 6

Hi there,
Spare tyres are not a testable item however if you have a spare wheel fitted with a tyre which is below the legal requirement a good tester will include it in his advisory list. As a tester myself, Pass and advise from me!! Any tester out there who can quote page no: and reason to prove me wrong?
Cheers

Answer 7

No it doesn't. The spare does not affect the roadworthyness of a vehicle any more than carrying spare water or a spare bulb does. Hence the MoT tester won't look at it.

Answer 8

I personally don't think you need a spare wheel/tyre to pass an MOT - but it makes sense that you have one.

Answer 9

Nope you dont need spare tyre to get your car pass MOT.
But imagine getting punctured tyre on motorway, So always keep one with air init.

Answer 10

everything on your car needs to be in working order! so on my old landrover, I used to remove the windsheild, before MOT, then they did not check the faulty wipers lol.

you could remove it before the test, and it should pass, but then the car would be subject to falling foul of road laws, in that you are required to carry a spare wheel to move the veichal off the busy carriageway - not to get you home - so you do not block a major road. however, as soon as you fit a wheel to the car, it should be road worthy, under another law.

Volkswagon tried to get around this law in the 1990's by having a thin wheel, that could be driven at slow speeds.

Answer 11

No The spare wheel or tyre is not part of the M.O.T. test