How much is an MOT in the UK?

Estimated read time 6 min read

MOT Test Cost in UK

The MOT test is an official, yearly inspection performed by certified examiners to determine whether or not a vehicle is roadworthy. Knowing how much it costs on average to get your car tested for an MOT might help you budget for the rest of the year if your vehicle is more than three years old and has to be tested every year.

How much is an MOT in the UK?

It costs varying sums to have a car’s MOT test performed, which is an abbreviation for the Ministry of Transport test. The Driver & Car Licensing Agency (DVLA) also determines the maximum amount that may be imposed for vehicle registration and registration renewals.

How much is an mot? – The highest charge for a vehicle will be £54.85, and the maximum fee for a regular motorbike will be £29.65. On GOV.UK. You can find a comprehensive overview of available options.

MOT Test Cost in UK
MOT Test Cost in UK

The price for an MOT test may be less than the maximum amount charged by certain test centres. For an MOT, you could be able to discover prices as low as £30, or even as low as £25. While we often propose the most cost-effective solutions when it comes to spending your money, you should exercise caution when purchasing an MOT at such a low cost. Make certain you read reviews and do your own research.

If the test centre also serves as a service and repair garage, it is doubtful that it would make a profit by offering such a cheap fee to customers. As a result, should your car fail the test, you should expect to pay more for service, repairs, and replacement components to make up for the lower MOT cost.

Average Cost of Repairs after an MOT Inspection

This takes us to the subject of your possible repair bill. The kind of failure determines the typical cost of an MOT failure repair.

Some of the most frequent defects are really inexpensive to fix — a blown bulb should cost less than £5, and it’s typically something you can do yourself in a matter of minutes.

It is also a failure if the windshield wiper fluid level is too low, and it is another inexpensive and quick remedy. Is your vehicle filthy? You will not be failing for that humiliating reason if you invest half an hour of your time, some washing up, and some hot water in the process.

When all of these very inexpensive faults are coupled with more costly concerns, the average cost of an MOT repair bill is £272. You’ll also have to pay an additional £54.85 for the MOT, for a total of £326.85.

The Average Cost of an MOT retest

When it comes to MOT retests, there are a few conditions that you should be aware of.

First and foremost, what happens if your car fails an MOT and you decide to leave it with the test centre for repair? You will not be required to have a complete MOT performed, just the portion of the MOT that the vehicle failed. As long as this is completed within 10 working days of the MOT failing, it will be completed at no charge.

How much is an mot test now?
MOT Test Cost in UK

Alternatively, you might have your car repaired elsewhere. If you return by the end of the following working day, the test is usually free of charge to you.

Alternatively, you may return to the same location where you had your vehicle tested within 10 working days, and although the test will not be free, it will be at a significantly discounted fee. At this time, the maximum you should be charged is half of the initial MOT price, whichever is greater.

The expense of penalty you may incur as a result of an MOT.

However, even if you end up with a significant repair expense, the true high costs connected with MOTs are those involved with receiving a punishment. There are a handful of possible scenarios in which this may occur:

For starters, if you neglect to get your car MOT’d when it’s due and end up with a vehicle that doesn’t have an MOT. You definitely want to avoid this since, apart from the obvious safety concerns, you might face a fine of up to £1000. You know it is a very big fine as one can start a business with £1000 in UK. In order to prevent this situation, the government provides a valuable free reminder application that will SMS you when your MOT is scheduled to be performed.

In addition, not having an MOT for your car might result in your insurance being void – and the cost for this is a fixed penalty of £300 as well as six penalty points on your driving record. In the unusual event that the case gets to court, the punishment may be in the thousands of dollars, and you might be barred from driving.

It is only when a vehicle is roadworthy, and you are driving it to have the defects corrected or to a pre-booked MOT that it is permissible to drive a car without having it tested.

Then the fine comes with driving a car that has failed an MOT inspection.

If your vehicle fails the MOT and is found to have a potentially hazardous defect, you will not be able to drive it away. This is because it has been determined to be unroadworthy. If your vehicle fails its MOT because of a significant defect that is assessed to render the vehicle unroadworthy, you will not be able to drive it away from the test station.

Conclusion

It is not just the cost of an important MOT; you must also consider the cost of auto maintenance, which may dramatically increase the amount of money you spend on operating expenses for your vehicle each year. Consider checking with the local test centre about the cost of rectifying the most frequent MOT failures before scheduling an appointment for an inspection.

Sarah Cantley

Editorial Head at UK Blog for Business & Startup.

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