Repair costs
Emissions fail repair garage rates and how often MOTs call for it
What UK garages charge per hour, from ONS price quotes, and how often MOT tests fail on the items this repair fixes, from 130,233,413 DVSA MOT tests (2022 to 2025).
Prices updated . MOT data updated .
Garage labour rates
No public source records the price of this whole job, and the time it takes varies from car to car, so we do not publish a single figure. Garages charge by the hour, so ask for a quote that lists labour time and parts. The rates below are what UK garages charge per hour.
The warning light or emissions reading is only the symptom. What the repair costs depends on what the diagnosis finds, so treat any figure as the starting point, not the full fix.
Median hourly rate charged for car repairs, from 1,058 local garage and 953 main dealer price quotes collected by the ONS, September 2025 to August 2026. The same shops are priced each month, so the number of shops is the real sample.
MOT defects this repair fixes
- Petrol exhaust Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits0.52 per 100
- Petrol exhaust carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits0.20 per 100
Records per 100 MOT tests at all ages (n=130,233,413 tests).
How often by age
All cars: 0.72 fail items per 100 MOTs that this repair fixes (n=130,233,413 tests), highest at 25 years with 3.93 per 100 (n=313,355). A test with two such items counts twice.
| Age | Per 100 MOTs | Tests (n) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 years | 0.055 | 8,016,463 |
| 4 years | 0.082 | 8,699,937 |
| 5 years | 0.12 | 9,425,360 |
| 6 years | 0.18 | 10,382,720 |
| 7 years | 0.26 | 10,537,318 |
| 8 years | 0.35 | 10,440,457 |
| 9 years | 0.45 | 9,949,012 |
| 10 years | 0.55 | 9,049,507 |
| 11 years | 0.65 | 8,087,514 |
| 12 years | 0.78 | 7,303,151 |
| 13 years | 0.95 | 6,612,160 |
| 14 years | 1.20 | 6,054,526 |
| 15 years | 1.47 | 5,591,675 |
| 16 years | 1.67 | 4,858,625 |
| 17 years | 1.76 | 4,040,458 |
| 18 years | 1.88 | 3,261,622 |
| 19 years | 2.04 | 2,479,858 |
| 20 years | 2.21 | 1,845,952 |
| 21 years | 2.44 | 1,321,417 |
| 22 years | 2.82 | 913,980 |
| 23 years | 3.17 | 619,531 |
| 24 years | 3.59 | 428,815 |
| 25 years | 3.93 | 313,355 |
Models that fail on these items more often
At least 1.3 times the rate of cars of the same ages and fuel, over ages with at least 1,000 tests each and 20,000 in total. Each generation of a model is compared on its own. 13 of these have their own page. Mostly electric models are left out, because they have no engine or exhaust to test.
| Model | Times as often | Tests (n) |
|---|---|---|
| Peugeot 208 | at least 5.0 | 809,087 |
| Smart Forfourfirst used 2014 or later | at least 4.2 | 89,645 |
| Peugeot 2008 | at least 3.6 | 496,383 |
| Ford EcoSport | at least 2.3 | 402,494 |
| Mazda 5 | at least 2.2 | 44,929 |
| Fiat Punto | at least 2.1 | 310,264 |
| Volkswagen Fox | at least 2.0 | 108,524 |
| Vauxhall Crossland | at least 1.9 | 229,410 |
| Volkswagen Lupo | at least 1.9 | 24,196 |
| Renault Twingo | at least 1.8 | 101,465 |
| Volkswagen Beetle | at least 1.7 | 180,577 |
| Fiat Bravo | at least 1.7 | 20,980 |
| MINI Cooper and One | at least 1.7 | 2,619,239 |
| Alfa Romeo Mito | at least 1.7 | 78,902 |
| Subaru Impreza | at least 1.7 | 66,952 |
| Toyota Celica | at least 1.6 | 35,045 |
| Skoda Citigo | at least 1.6 | 210,005 |
| Mazda Bongo | at least 1.5 | 35,066 |
| Hyundai Coupe | at least 1.5 | 24,661 |
| Toyota MR2 | at least 1.4 | 30,113 |
| SEAT Mii | at least 1.4 | 72,945 |
| Abarth 500 | at least 1.4 | 102,099 |
| Hyundai Tucsonfirst used 2015 or later | at least 1.4 | 520,466 |
| Toyota GT86 | at least 1.3 | 26,073 |
| Vauxhall Zafira | at least 1.3 | 861,172 |
2 more models
| Model | Times as often | Tests (n) |
|---|---|---|
| Peugeot 206 | at least 1.3 | 211,511 |
| Volkswagen Up | at least 1.3 | 501,026 |
Models that fail on these items less often
At most 0.7 times the rate of cars of the same ages and fuel, on the same rules.
| Model | Times as often | Tests (n) |
|---|---|---|
| Mercedes-Benz SL | at most 0.6 | 70,445 |
| BMW Z4 | at most 0.6 | 141,225 |
| Toyota IQ | at most 0.6 | 67,409 |
| Mercedes-Benz SLK | at most 0.7 | 227,766 |
| Suzuki Celerio | at most 0.7 | 110,627 |
| Suzuki Vitarafirst used 2015 or later | at most 0.7 | 248,462 |
Other repairs
- Exterior bulb replacement£3.99 median
- Tyre replacement£87.05 median
- Headlight alignmentlabour rate
- Coil spring replacementlabour rate
- Wiper blade replacement£9.99 median
- Handbrake repairlabour rate
- Brake pad replacementlabour rate
- Suspension ball joint replacementlabour rate
- Anti-roll bar link replacementlabour rate
- Headlight bulb replacement£3.99 median
- Engine warning light diagnosislabour rate
- Screenwash top-uplabour rate
- Suspension arm bush replacementlabour rate
- CV boot replacementlabour rate
- Track rod end replacementlabour rate
- Brake disc and pad replacementlabour rate
- Shock absorber replacementlabour rate
- Corrosion welding repairlabour rate
- Binding brake repairlabour rate
- Washer system repairlabour rate
- Exhaust repair£212.09 median
- Brake pipe replacementlabour rate
- ABS warning light repairlabour rate
- Airbag warning light repairlabour rate
- Brake imbalance repairlabour rate
- Wheel bearing replacementlabour rate
- Tyre pressure sensor replacementlabour rate
- Horn repairlabour rate
- Number plate replacementlabour rate
- Exhaust mounting repairlabour rate
- Wheel nut or bolt replacementlabour rate
- Steering rack gaiter replacementlabour rate
- Brake efficiency repairlabour rate
- Headlight mounting repairlabour rate
- Headlight unit replacementlabour rate
- Headlight lens restorationlabour rate
- Swivel pin replacementlabour rate
Buying a used car?
These figures describe all cars, not any one car. Found one you might buy? See what the VetTheCar Buying Report would tell you.
See an example report MOT fail rates by model All free tools
Source
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal MOT tests, 2022 to 2025, and the MOT inspection manual published on GOV.UK. Prices: ONS consumer price inflation price quotes, September 2025 to August 2026, UK.
MOT data updated . Prices updated .
Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA or the Office for National Statistics. How we calculate these figures · Data sources