How do MOT numbers work?

[Somewhatfoolish]

Is there any meaning to MOT numbers? They seem to be 12 digits that may as well be totally random looking at them?

(Lest this sound nuts - I was looking at my car's MOT history to check how much mileage it's done in the last month, and I noticed that there was no rhyme or reason to the MOT number of its last few tests. They're certainly not sequential, and they don't seem to have anything obvious about who did the MOT or anything either)

Edited by Somewhatfoolish on Sunday 19th March 01:17

[AlexRS2782]

Might also be worth posting the same question on the Ask An MOT Tester thread in GG - https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... - as that way you should get the correct answer from someone that does the job for a living.

[Somewhatfoolish]

AlexRS2782 said:

Might also be worth posting the same question on the Ask An MOT Tester thread in GG - https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... - as that way you should get the correct answer from someone that does the job for a living.

Thank you have done that

[richs2891]

I was told it was certificate number - going back to the days where it was a classed a secure document - hence a unique serial number so it can be traced

[Bigends]

The old paper certificates came in books, each certificate was consecutively numbered - I would imagine the computer produced certificates have the same

[r3g]

The MOT station has to buy the tests from the DVSA in advance. They come in sequential number order from the DVSA for however many you buy in one go.