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MOT reminder texts with online booking for garages

MOT reminder automation checks each customer’s vehicle against DVSA’s MOT history to confirm when its next test is due. It texts the customer a booking link before the due date and places the chosen slot in the workshop diary.

An example of how the studio would build it. No live services are connected.

From an approaching due date to a car booked into the bay.

  1. Step 01

    Customers listed

    Read the registrations and contact preferences of customers who have used the garage before.

  2. Step 02

    Due date confirmed

    Check each registration with DVSA’s MOT history API to get the current expiry date, in case the car was tested elsewhere.

  3. Step 03

    Reminder sent

    Shortly before the early testing window opens, text the customer through Twilio with a link to choose an MOT slot.

  4. Step 04

    Slot held

    Add the chosen slot to the workshop’s Google Calendar, checking it is still available before confirming.

  5. Step 05

    Day-before reminder

    Send a short reminder the day before, and tell the team about any bookings that came in overnight.

The result

Regular customers come back to you for their MOT, without anyone working through a list.

Each vehicle gets one reminder per MOT cycle, keyed by registration and expiry date. Customers who have sold the car, opted out or already booked are skipped.

Before we connect it.

Where this is useful

Useful for independent garages and MOT centres that rely on returning customers but send reminders by hand or not at all. A sensible first version sends the reminders and lets the front desk confirm each booking before it goes in the diary.

What we need to connect

  1. 01A list of customer vehicles and contact details from your garage management system or invoices, with consent to send service reminders.
  2. 02Access to DVSA’s MOT history API, which needs a short registration, and a Twilio account for text messages.
  3. 03Your MOT slot times, bay capacity and the Google Calendar the workshop uses, or the booking system that holds the diary.

What needs careful handling

An MOT can be done up to a month minus a day before it runs out and keep the same renewal date, so reminders are timed to arrive just before that window opens. A registration whose latest test was at another garage, or whose number no longer answers, is marked for a person to decide on rather than reminded again. New cars in Great Britain don’t need a first MOT until they are three years old, so those vehicles are scheduled from their first registration date instead.

Questions people ask.

Don’t drivers get MOT reminders from the government already?

Drivers can sign up for DVSA’s own reminder service, but many don’t, and it doesn’t point them back to your garage. Your reminder comes from a business they know, with a link to book straight in.

Can it remind customers about servicing as well?

Yes. Service intervals come from your own records rather than DVSA, so they need a reliable last service date and mileage. Many garages start with MOTs and add servicing once that data is tidy.

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