Yes, a mechanic can become an MOT tester without a Level 3 qualification, as long as they’ve got the experience to back it up. DVSA asks anyone who wants to test class 3, 4, 5 or 7 vehicles to hold an accepted qualification or accreditation, and the Vehicle Technician Accredited Assessment (VTAA) is one of them. It’s a one-day assessment that recognises an experienced technician’s skills as equivalent to Level 3, without the need to go back to college.
Your technician will still need to meet DVSA’s eligibility rules, including at least four years’ full-time experience servicing and repairing the vehicles they’ll test, a full UK driving licence for those classes, no unspent convictions, and being ‘of good repute’. After the VTAA, they’ll take the Level 2 MOT tester course and a DVSA demonstration test before they can start testing.