How much does an MOT cost? The fee cap explained
At the time of writing the most a test centre can charge for a car MOT is £54.85, and many charge less. How the cap works and when a retest is free.
Updated
At the time of writing, the most an MOT test centre in Great Britain can charge for a car is £54.85. That is a cap, not a set price, so many garages charge less. There is no VAT on the fee, and the cap is the same whether the car is petrol, diesel, hybrid or electric. If the car fails, a retest can be free, cost up to half the maximum fee, or cost a full fee, depending on where the repair is done and how quickly the car goes back.
The maximum MOT fee
GOV.UK publishes the maximum fee for each class of vehicle. For a car with up to 8 passenger seats the cap is £54.85. The fee was last checked against the GOV.UK table on the updated date shown on this page. Check the GOV.UK MOT costs page before you book, in case it has changed.
A few points about the cap:
- It is a maximum. Test centres are free to charge less, and many do, especially when they compete for local custom.
- You do not pay VAT on the fee. The figure is the full amount you can be charged for the test.
- The fuel does not matter. A petrol, diesel, hybrid or electric car pays the same capped fee. An electric car has no emissions test, but that does not lower the cap. Our guide to the MOT for electric cars explains what is tested instead.
- Other vehicles have other caps. Motorcycles, larger passenger vehicles and some goods vehicles have their own rows in the GOV.UK table.
The rules on fees and test ages above apply in England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland runs its own scheme with its own fees. Our guide to the MOT in Northern Ireland covers the differences.
Retests after a fail
If the car fails, what you pay for the retest depends on three things: where the repair is done, how quickly the car goes back and what failed.
| Situation | Retest | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Car left at the test centre for repair, retested within 10 working days | Partial retest | No fee |
| Car taken away, returned to the same centre by the end of the next working day, retest only on certain listed items | Partial retest | No fee |
| Car taken away for repair, returned to the same centre within 10 working days | Partial retest | Up to half the maximum fee |
| Any other case | Full test | Full fee |
The free next-day items
GOV.UK lists the items that qualify for a free retest when the car goes back to the same centre by the end of the next working day. They include lamps, mirrors, seatbelts, seats, wheels and tyres, the horn, windscreen glass, wipers and washers, registration plates, doors, the bonnet, the boot lid, the battery, the fuel filler cap, the tyre pressure monitoring system and electrical wiring, among others. The list on GOV.UK is the one that counts.
The half-fee partial retest
DVSA's MOT testing guide says that when a car is taken away for repair and brought back to the same test centre within 10 working days, a retest fee of up to half the statutory maximum test fee may be charged. As with the test itself, a centre can charge less.
Appeals
If you think a fail was wrong, you can appeal to DVSA. The appeal fee is the maximum test fee for that class of vehicle, and DVSA may refund some or all of it if it agrees the appeal was justified.
Why a cheap MOT deserves a look at the quote
A low test fee is fine. A test centre makes its money on the work it finds, not the test. That is normal, but it is a reason to read any repair quote carefully, particularly when the MOT was cheap or offered as part of a deal.
- Ask what failed and why. The fail sheet lists each defect and its category. You are entitled to see it before you agree to any work.
- Separate fails from advisories. Advisories do not need fixing to pass. A garage may recommend the work, but you can decide later.
- Get the quote in writing, with parts and labour listed.
- You do not have to use the same garage. You can take the car away for repairs, as long as its current MOT is still valid and no dangerous defects were found. Weigh that against the retest rules in the table above.
The MOT as one of your yearly costs
The MOT is one of the smaller fixed costs of running a car. Car tax, insurance and servicing often cost more, and repairs found at the MOT can cost far more than the test.
If you are comparing cars to buy, use our car tax calculator to see the tax for each one, and our MOT fail rate pages to see how often each model fails by age in Great Britain. A model that fails more often at the age you are buying is more likely to need work at its next test.
When you buy a car, check when its MOT runs out. You can have the test up to a month (minus a day) before it expires and keep the same renewal date. Our guide to buying a car that failed its MOT covers what to do when the latest result was a fail.
Frequently asked questions
How much is an MOT for a car?
At the time of writing the maximum fee for a car with up to 8 passenger seats is £54.85, with no VAT. Test centres can charge less.
Is an MOT retest free?
It can be. A retest is free if the car is left at the test centre for repair and retested within 10 working days, or if it goes back to the same centre by the end of the next working day for a partial retest on certain listed items.
How much is a partial MOT retest?
If you take the car away for repair and bring it back to the same centre within 10 working days, the centre can charge up to half the maximum test fee.
Is an MOT cheaper for an electric car?
No. The maximum fee is the same for petrol, diesel, hybrid and electric cars.
Can a garage charge more than the maximum MOT fee?
No. The GOV.UK figure is the most a test centre can charge for the test itself. Repairs are charged separately.