How do I work out my annual mileage from MOT history?

Take the mileage at your most recent MOT and the mileage at the MOT roughly a year before, and subtract. The difference is the miles you drove in that period. If the two tests aren't exactly 12 months apart, scale the figure to a full year (miles divided by months, times 12).

Is MOT mileage my business mileage?

No — MOT history gives your total mileage, business and private together. For a tax claim you need the business share, so take the proportion of those miles that were genuine business journeys. The MOT figure is a reliable total to start from, not the claim itself.

Free method · GOV.UK-sourced

How to Find Your Annual Mileage from Your MOT History

Q: Does my MOT history show my mileage?

Yes. GOV.UK's free Check MOT history service shows the mileage recorded at each MOT test, looked up by your number plate. Each test records the odometer reading on the day, so the history is a dated trail of your car's mileage.

Q: What if my car is too new to have an MOT?

A car that hasn't had its first MOT yet won't have any MOT history to read. In that case use the odometer method instead: note the reading now and again in a few weeks, and scale up to a year.

You don't have to guess your yearly mileage — your MOT history already records it. The free GOV.UK service lists the mileage logged at every test, so two readings a year apart give you a measured annual figure in a couple of minutes. Here's how, the catches to watch, and how to turn it into a tax claim.

Short answer: look up your car on the free GOV.UK Check MOT history service by number plate, note the mileage at your latest MOT and the mileage at the MOT about a year earlier, and subtract. The difference is your annual mileage — recorded, not remembered.

By Alpesh Patel, Keepwright · published 29 June 2026

The free record you already have

Every time your car is MOT-tested, the garage records the odometer reading. GOV.UK keeps that history, and you can read it for free: the Check MOT history service shows, for any vehicle by number plate, the mileage recorded when it was tested at each MOT, the pass/fail result, and when the next test is due.

That makes your MOT history a dated trail of real odometer readings — which is exactly what you need to work out how far you actually drive in a year, without relying on memory or a hopeful guess.

The method, in one subtraction

Take the mileage at your most recent MOT and the mileage at the MOT about a year before, and subtract one from the other:

MOT date	Recorded mileage
March 2026 (latest)	42,000
March 2025	33,500
Annual mileage	8,500 miles	(42,000 − 33,500)

If your two tests aren't exactly twelve months apart, just scale to a full year: divide the miles by the number of months between the tests, then multiply by twelve. A 14-month gap of 9,900 miles, for example, is about 8,500 a year (9,900 ÷ 14 × 12).

Three catches to watch

A car too new for an MOT won't have history yet. Use the odometer method instead — note the reading now and again in a few weeks, and scale up.
The odd reading is mis-typed at the test. If a number looks wrong — a jump or drop that can't be right — sense-check it against the readings either side rather than trusting it blindly.
This is your total mileage — business and private together. For a tax claim you want only the business share, so take the proportion of those miles that were genuine business journeys (see below).

From annual mileage to a claim

Once you have a measured annual figure, the claim is simple arithmetic: take the business share of those miles and multiply by the approved rate — 55p for the first 10,000 business miles in 2026/27, 25p after. So 8,500 total miles that were 40% business is 3,400 business miles, worth about £1,870 in allowance.

One honest caveat: an MOT-derived figure is a great estimate of how much is at stake, but a tax claim ultimately rests on a record of the actual business journeys — date, where, why, miles. Use the MOT method to decide whether there's enough to bother claiming; keep a proper trip log to claim it. Drop your figure into the free mileage calculator to see the two bands worked out.

Common questions

Does my MOT history show my mileage?

Yes — GOV.UK's free Check MOT history service shows the mileage recorded at each test, looked up by number plate. It's a dated trail of your car's real odometer readings.

How do I work out annual mileage from it?

Subtract the mileage at the MOT a year ago from the mileage at your latest MOT. If the tests aren't exactly 12 months apart, scale to a year: miles ÷ months × 12.

What if my car is too new to have an MOT?

There'll be no history to read yet. Use the odometer method — note the reading now and again in a few weeks, then scale up to a full year.

Is the MOT figure my business mileage?

No — it's your total mileage. For a claim, take the business share of it. The MOT total is a reliable starting point, not the claim itself.

Turn the number into a figure

Have your annual mileage? Put the business share into the free UK mileage calculator, or read how to estimate your yearly mileage (the other two methods) and the UK mileage allowance rules. Mileage Tracker keeps the trip-by-trip log that a claim actually rests on, pay-once.

General information, not tax advice. Rates were correct at publication (29 June 2026) — check current figures with HMRC or your accountant. Source linked above.