How Much Does an MOT Cost in the UK? 2026 Prices and Retest Fees

The maximum fees

• Car, up to 8 passenger seats (class 4): £54.85 maximum.
• Motorcycle (class 1 and 2): £29.65 maximum.
• Motorcycle with sidecar (class 3): £37.80 maximum.
• Goods vehicle up to 3,000kg (class 7): £58.60 maximum.

These are ceilings, not fixed prices. Independent garages, fast-fit chains and dealers often discount the test, sometimes to under £35, or offer a free MOT with a service. Always confirm the price before you book.

Is the retest free?

If your vehicle fails and you leave it at the test centre for repairs, a retest carried out before the end of the next working day is free. If you take the vehicle away and bring it back within 10 working days, a partial retest covering only the failed items is free at many centres, although a further fee can apply if a full test is needed.

Ask the test centre to confirm its retest policy in writing when you collect the vehicle — the free window is short and easy to miss.

Costs that are not part of the MOT fee

• Repairs needed to pass — these are quoted separately and you can take the car elsewhere.
• A service, which is a different job with a different price.
• Consumables such as bulbs or wiper blades fitted on the day.
• A duplicate certificate if you need a paper copy.

How to keep the bill down

1. Do a pre-MOT walk round first — the most common MOT failures include lights and tyres you can check yourself.
2. Get repair quotes from more than one garage rather than accepting the test centre's price by default.
3. Book early in the month before expiry so a fail leaves time for repairs without the car being off the road.
4. Check the MOT history of any car you are buying so you are not inheriting years of advisories — see how to read MOT history.

Prices for the maximum fee are set by DVSA and change only when the government updates them, so check the GOV.UK fees page if you are reading this some time after the review date above.

Why garages charge less than the maximum

The MOT fee is capped, not fixed. Garages are free to charge below the maximum and many do, because the test is a way of getting your car onto the ramp. A discounted or free MOT is usually bundled with a service, or offered by a workshop that expects to quote for whatever the test finds. That is not sinister — but it does mean the headline price is not the only number that matters.

Council-run and local-authority test centres are worth knowing about because many carry out testing only and do no repair work at all, which removes any incentive to find faults. They are often busier and book up further ahead as a result.

The costs that appear after the test

• Retest fees, which are free or reduced when the car returns within the qualifying period.
• Repairs for major or dangerous defects, which must be fixed before the vehicle can be used.
• Consumables such as bulbs, wiper blades and screenwash, often fitted on the spot for a small charge.
• Diagnostic time where a fault such as an emissions failure needs investigation before it can be quoted.

Repair costs dwarf the test fee in almost every case where a car fails, which is why the previous years of test history are the most useful cost forecast you have. Advisories that have been repeated for two or three tests are the jobs most likely to become chargeable failures next time.

Keeping the bill down without cutting corners

1. Do a ten-minute pre-check yourself: lights, tyres, wipers, washers, horn, number plate condition and warning lamps.
2. Fix known advisories before the test rather than after, when you can shop around calmly for parts and labour.
3. Ask for a written quote before authorising any work found at the test — you are never obliged to have repairs done at the testing garage.
4. Take the car elsewhere for repairs if the quote looks high, then return within the retest window.

If you are pricing up a car you do not yet own, check the plate first. A test history full of corrosion and suspension advisories points to a much larger annual bill than the test fee alone, and it is the cheapest due diligence available.