Repair costs

Tyre pressure sensor replacement 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 22 September 2026. MOT data updated 28 September 2026.

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No public source records the price of this whole job, and the time it takes varies from car to car, so we do not publish a single figure.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.

Local garage labour, per hour (65 shops)£78

Local garage, middle half£70 to £96

Main dealer labour, per hour (62 shops)£156

Main dealer, middle half£144 to £174

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

Tyre pressure monitoring system malfunctioning or obviously inoperative0.38 per 100

Records per 100 MOT tests at all ages (n=130,233,413 tests).

How often by age

All cars: 0.38 fail items per 100 MOTs that this repair fixes (n=130,233,413 tests), highest at 9 years with 0.86 per 100 (n=9,949,012). A test with two such items counts twice.

Fail items fixed by tyre pressure sensor replacement, per 100 MOT tests of cars at each age.
Age	Per 100 MOTs	Tests (n)
3 years	0.29	8,016,463
4 years	0.34	8,699,937
5 years	0.42	9,425,360
6 years	0.53	10,382,720
7 years	0.69	10,537,318
8 years	0.81	10,440,457
9 years	0.86	9,949,012
10 years	0.74	9,049,507
11 years	0.36	8,087,514
12 years	0.091	7,303,151
13 years	0.040	6,612,160
14 years	0.002	6,054,526
15 years	0.002	5,591,675
16 years	0.002	4,858,625
17 years	0.002	4,040,458
18 years	0.001	3,261,622
19 years	0.001	2,479,858
20 years	0	1,845,952
21 years	0	1,321,417
22 years	0	913,980
23 years	0	619,531
24 years	0	428,815
25 years	0	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. 33 of these have their own page.

Model	Times as often	Tests (n)
Vauxhall Viva	at least 4.4	154,054
MG HS	at least 4.1	45,337
Ford Tourneo Custom	at least 3.5	29,283
Jeep Renegade	at least 3.5	110,103
Hyundai ix35	at least 3.3	209,126
Ford Grand C-Max	at least 2.8	145,176
Mercedes-Benz Vito	at least 2.8	350,481
Vauxhall Astra	at least 2.5	2,724,083
Jeep Cherokeefirst used 2014 or later	at least 2.5	21,172
MG 3	at least 2.5	81,125
Vauxhall Mokka	at least 2.4	930,592
Ford Tourneo Connect	at least 2.4	51,802
MG ZSfirst used 2017 or later	at least 2.1	143,170
Hyundai i800	at least 2.1	32,058
Suzuki Baleno	at least 2.1	26,797
Ford C-Max	at least 2.1	527,219
Hyundai i40	at least 2.0	85,833
Jeep Compassfirst used 2017 or later	at least 2.0	31,820
Ford Tourneo	at least 1.9	55,404
Lexus IS	at least 1.8	154,326
Toyota Land Cruiser	at least 1.8	78,269
Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross	at least 1.8	45,345
Ford Ranger	at least 1.8	426,542
Volkswagen CC	at least 1.8	56,184
Mitsubishi Shogun	at least 1.7	104,916

30 more models

Model	Times as often	Tests (n)
Ford B-Max	at least 1.7	218,327
Ford Focus	at least 1.7	3,840,973
Ford S-Max	at least 1.6	301,431
Ford Galaxy	at least 1.6	251,657
Ford Kuga	at least 1.6	1,137,353
Tesla Model 3	at least 1.6	192,551
Toyota Corollafirst used 2019 or later	at least 1.6	181,405
Hyundai i10	at least 1.6	980,254
Ford Fiesta	at least 1.6	5,660,045
Ford Mondeo	at least 1.6	817,456
Toyota RAV4	at least 1.5	502,711
Honda Civic	at least 1.5	1,140,581
SsangYong Tivoli	at least 1.5	27,007
Jeep Grand Cherokee	at least 1.5	53,492
Vauxhall Insignia	at least 1.5	834,880
Ford EcoSport	at least 1.5	402,494
Kia Sportage	at least 1.5	1,070,582
Smart Forfourfirst used 2014 or later	at least 1.4	89,645
Toyota Verso	at least 1.4	112,639
Fiat Tipo	at least 1.4	49,704
Vauxhall Corsa	at least 1.3	3,740,055
Mitsubishi Mirage	at least 1.3	44,082
Tesla Model S	at least 1.3	41,739
Renault Kadjar	at least 1.3	267,506
Vauxhall Adam	at least 1.3	237,726
Toyota C-HR	at least 1.3	307,013
Volkswagen Beetle	at least 1.3	180,577
LEVC TX	at least 1.3	35,503
Nissan NV200	at least 1.3	122,396
Suzuki Swift	at least 1.3	532,946

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)
Kia Stonic	at most 0.3	94,808
Volkswagen ID.3	at most 0.4	45,442
Jaguar I-Pace	at most 0.4	57,577
Skoda Karoq	at most 0.5	184,189
BMW i3	at most 0.5	85,743
Volvo XC40	at most 0.5	229,238
Skoda Kamiq	at most 0.5	47,898
Mazda CX-3	at most 0.6	102,215
Citroen C3 Aircross	at most 0.6	110,010
Suzuki Celerio	at most 0.6	110,627
Audi e-tron	at most 0.6	38,725
Mercedes-Benz GLC	at most 0.6	298,696
Land Rover Discovery Sport	at most 0.6	447,155
Vauxhall Grandland	at most 0.6	243,753
BMW M4	at most 0.6	47,927
Volkswagen T-Roc	at most 0.6	260,443
Kia XCeed	at most 0.6	47,938
Jaguar F-Type	at most 0.6	57,526
BMW X2	at most 0.7	68,516
Skoda Kodiaq	at most 0.7	134,246
Audi Q5	at most 0.7	422,669
BMW X4	at most 0.7	65,595
Volvo V90first used 2016 or later	at most 0.7	57,957
Volkswagen Up	at most 0.7	501,026
Skoda Citigo	at most 0.7	210,005

10 more models

Model	Times as often	Tests (n)
BMW 4 Series	at most 0.7	417,430
Volkswagen e-Golf	at most 0.7	23,394
Mercedes-Benz EQC	at most 0.7	22,290
Volkswagen T-Cross	at most 0.7	75,652
BMW X1	at most 0.7	414,040
Porsche Macan	at most 0.7	115,297
SEAT Ateca	at most 0.7	171,168
Mercedes-Benz GLE	at most 0.7	113,268
BMW 2 Series	at most 0.7	478,855
Jaguar F-Pace	at most 0.7	202,046

Read this with care. A fail rate is not a measure of build quality. How far cars are driven, how they are used and how well owners maintain them all change it, and wear items such as tyres and brake pads are common fails. Compare a model only with cars of the same age. Methodology and limits.

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
Emissions fail repairlabour rate
Brake pipe replacementlabour rate
ABS warning light repairlabour rate
Airbag warning light repairlabour rate
Brake imbalance repairlabour rate
Wheel bearing 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

All repair costs All MOT defects

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 28 September 2026. Prices updated 22 September 2026.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA or the Office for National Statistics. How we calculate these figures · Data sources