Guide
MOT reminder software: what to check before you buy
Updated
Reminders are the reason most garages buy a system at all. They are also where the metering lives.
Every product here does reminders. The difference is the meter
Six of the seven products compared on this site state MOT and service reminders as a feature; only Garage Software Solutions says nothing about them in the plan tables we read. That means reminders are not a differentiator on their own. What separates the products is whether text messages are included, metered or sold in credit bundles, and that is rarely on the pricing page.
What the suppliers state
- MOT Manager
- Garage Hive
- Motasoft
- TechMan
- MAM Autowork Online
- Workauto
Each entry above was read on the supplier's own site on 15 August 2026. Where a supplier says 'unlimited', that is the supplier's word: we have not tested any of these systems, and fair-use limits are usually in the contract rather than on the marketing page.
The reminder is only as good as the expiry date behind it
A reminder system fires off a date. If that date comes from a vehicle lookup rather than from your own job history, then the quality of your reminders is the quality of your data feed, and a lookup allowance that runs out mid-month quietly stops the reminders that matter. Ask how many lookups the plan includes before you ask how clever the reminder templates are.
Five questions that decide the real cost
- Are SMS reminders included, metered, or bought as credits? Get the per-message rate in writing.
- How many vehicle lookups does the plan include, and what happens on the day you exceed them?
- Can you send a reminder to a customer whose vehicle you have never tested, from a lookup alone, or only from your own job history?
- Who owns the customer list if you leave, and in what format do you get it out?
- Does the system record consent and unsubscribes, so a reminder programme stays inside UK direct marketing rules?
Reminders are marketing, and marketing has rules
An MOT reminder to an existing customer about a service you have already provided is ordinary customer communication. A campaign to a list you bought, or to registrations you looked up, is direct marketing and sits under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations, enforced by the Information Commissioner's Office. Whatever system you buy, it needs to record who consented, who opted out, and when. Check that the unsubscribe is automatic rather than a note somebody types into the customer record.