FleetCheck has secured a new MOT deal with Prestige Fleet Servicing for its customers ahead of an expected surge in demand.

UK motorists were granted a six-month extension to MOTs which were due between March 30 and July 31, 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

During this time, 5.3 million fewer tests took place, compared to the same period in 2019.

Drivers began to re-book these postponed tests from September 2020 onwards, creating a huge surge in demand to clear this backlog, on top of tests already due in the winter months.

These MOTs are once again due for their annual review, making September to December a far busier time to book a test at other points of the year.

Andy Kirby, customer success director at FleetCheck, said: “From our software we could see that a significant number of our users had MOTs becoming due this September and we wanted to do something to help them.

“The deal that we have negotiated with Prestige Fleet Servicing under our affinity programme provides a discounted rate of £35 and the ability to book anywhere across their network online.”

Data from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) suggests MOT test numbers made a strong recovery between April and June this year, following the disruption caused by the MOT extension.

The data shows 45% more MOTs took place in Q2 2021 than in Q2 2020.

Prestige Fleet Servicing, which has been part of the AA since 2019, provides fleet SMR at more than 500 approved garages across the UK.

The new arrangement is part of the FleetCheck Affinity Services programme, which was created in 2020 to offer a range of discounted and enhanced services from providers of essential fleet services to the company’s more than 1,300-strong customer base.

Kirby added: “FleetCheck Affinity Services has agreements in place with five major service providers so far, ranging from auction services to driver training and maintenance to vehicle recovery.

“We’re in the process of finalising further affinity deals which we’ll announce in the near future.”