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Now it is April several new laws have come into force; some good for the pennies and some not so good.

But by May your bank balance could be affected by new rules coming into force for MoTs.

That's because new rules coming in May have changed how vehicles are classed after a test.

Not only that but you can also potentially lose your driving licence even if your MoT is still in date.

The new rules coming in have changed how vehicles are classed after a test, reports The Mirror.

In the past, as long as your car was deemed roadworthy, you could keep driving it even after it failed an MoT test, provided your old MoT was still valid.

But now the second your car fails, it can be deemed "dangerous" - and driving a car rated as that can lead to a fine of up to £2,500 and three points on your licence.

Worse still, if you've been fined for this in the past three years, you'll be facing a driving ban of at least six months.

So, what's changed?

You aren't allowed to drive without a valid MoT, with fines of up to £1,000 if you're caught, but you used to be able to get round that.

This is because you can get an MoT a month before your current certificate expires.

So if you booked in early, rather than being forced off the road if your car failed, you could drive it away as long as it was deemed roadworthy.

This let drivers book in for the needed repair and get re-tested when it suited them.

But that might not be an option any more.

Minor defects need to be identified and recorded and the car owner will be advised to have them repaired, but you still pass. Any dangerous faults receive an automatic fail.

The new rules

From May, cars will have any faults found placed in one of three categories:

dangerous

major

minor

Minor defects need to be identified and recorded and the car owner will be advised to have them repaired, but you still pass. Any dangerous faults receive an automatic fail.

The rules are designed to bring clarity to drivers as to what is, and what isn't, safe to drive with. Before the tester could make that call themselves in many cases.

This would be fairly academic - as rules are being clarified, not introduced - except for two things.

Firstly "Using a vehicle in a dangerous condition" is an offence, and has been for some time, one that carries a fine of £2,500 and three points on your licence the first time you're caught and minimum ban of 6 months if you're caught twice in three years.

Secondly, MoT results are uploaded and stored centrally, so any "dangerous" faults go on the database straight away.

And although police enforcement will still be driven by expiry data, the offence of driving with a dangerous vehicle applies whether you have a valid MoT or not. There will be clear evidence available to them if they do suspect the car to be problematic.

Which means, if your car does fail its MoT with a dangerous fault, you really don't have any choice but to leave it there until it's fixed now - no matter how early you book in your test.

The DVSA still encourages motorists to get their MoT early – up to a month prior to their previous certificate expiring – to avoid the risk of being unable to get a booking in time.

Neil Barlow, head of MOT policy for the Driver and Vehicles Standards Agency told Auto Express the new rules will "help motorists do the right thing".

He added: "We're changing the wording on the certificate. We've done a lot of research with motorists to find out what sort of information helps."

Steering is also to be looked at in the DVSA's new criteria.

A steering box leaking oil would get a Minor fault but if the oil was dripping badly it would be pushed up to Major and fail.

Reverse lights will be checked and brake discs also inspected to see if they are "significantly or obviously worn".

Minor defects refer to those that have no significant effect on the safety of the vehicle or impact on the environment.

Major defects may see the vehicle being less safe and have an impact on the environment, putting other road users at risk.

Dangerous defects have an immediate risk to road safety and have an impact on the environment.

The new rules will start from May 20 but an RAC spokesman said they fear the changes could end up confusing motorists.

He said: "Rather than MOT failures simply being black and white, the new system creates the potential for confusion as testers will have to make a judgement as to whether faults are Dangerous, Major or Minor.

"Motorists may also struggle to tell the difference."

This article has been amended to clarify that the offence of driving with a dangerous vehicle, and police enforcement powers, have not been changed. It is the classification of faults as dangerous during the MoT Test that will be updated in May.