DVSA sets a maximum MOT fee by vehicle class. A garage may charge less. It may not charge more.
| Vehicle | Maximum fee |
|---|---|
| Car, up to 8 passenger seats (class 4) | £54.85 |
| Motorcycle over 200cc (class 4 motorcycle) | £29.65 |
| Motorcycle up to 200cc | £29.65 or less depending on class |
| Goods vehicle up to 3,000kg (class 7) | £58.60 |
| HGV, from 6 July 2026 | £70.00 |
| Trailer, from 6 July 2026 | £50.00 |
| Bus or coach, from 6 July 2026 | £90.00 |
Caps as published by DVSA and current in August 2026. The car and motorcycle figures have been frozen since April 2010.
Here is the part that matters. Almost no garage charges the cap. The MOT itself is barely profitable at any price; garages want the repair work that follows. So the test is used as a loss leader, and a typical honest price in 2026 is somewhere between £30 and £45. Chains and fast-fit centres run £20 to £25 offers regularly.
If you are quoted £54.85, you are being charged the absolute maximum by a garage that has decided you will not shop around. Ring two more.
This is the rule that costs people the most money because it is not obvious and nobody explains it at the counter.
So the expensive mistake is failing on a Friday, leaving the car on the drive for three weeks, then paying twice. If you cannot fix it quickly, at least get it back inside the ten working days.
Ask the question before you hand over the keys: "if it fails and I repair it myself, is the retest free within ten working days?" A garage that hesitates is telling you something.
What to ignore: pre-MOT checks sold as a separate paid service by the same garage doing the MOT. You are paying twice to be told the same thing.
The test fee is the small number. The repairs are the big one, and the MOT history tells you what is coming before you pay for anything.
Put the registration into our free MOT history checker and read the advisories from the last two tests. An advisory is the tester saying a component is wearing but has not failed yet. The same advisory appearing twice is a failure being scheduled for you.
Our guide on what actually fails an MOT goes through the categories and rough repair costs, and the defect categories explains the difference between dangerous, major and minor.
Driving without a valid MOT can bring a fine of up to £1,000. If the vehicle is in a dangerous condition it rises to up to £2,500, three penalty points and a possible disqualification. Your insurance may also be affected.
There are two legal exceptions: driving to a pre-booked MOT test, and driving to a garage for repairs needed for the test. Both need to be genuine, and "I was on my way to book one" is not one of them.
Full detail in the MOT rules and fines guide.
The cap is £54.85 for a car and £29.65 for a bike, and you should almost never pay it. Ring three garages, ask about the free retest window before you book, fix the bulbs yourself, and spend the difference on the advisories the last test already warned you about.
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A trailer under 3,500kg has no MOT and no history. What cars, vans and lorries that tow really need in 2026, and what the MOT towbar check covers.
Most bikes are laid up over winter, so a motorcycle MOT history is full of holes that mean nothing. Which gaps are normal, which one should stop you, why low mileage is not automatically good, and how to read the trail. Free checks for cars, vans, motorcycles and lorries.
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An imported car, van or motorcycle has no UK MOT history before its DVLA registration, and its readings may be in kilometres. The 14 day NOVA rule, the £55 registration fee, the £199 IVA test, the 10 year exemption, the write-off trap, and how to read an import's record without being fooled.
What a DVSA or police roadside stop covers for a van, the fixed penalties and prohibitions from GOV.UK, the 2024 to 2025 prosecution figures, and how a cleared prohibition shows up in the MOT history of a car, van or lorry before you buy.
What the MOT emissions test does to a diesel car or van, the smoke limits by age, the DPF removal fines, 2026 repair costs from £85 to £3,500, and how to spot DPF trouble in the free MOT history before you buy.
What the DVSA motorcycle manual actually says about aftermarket exhausts, NOT FOR ROAD USE cans, LED headlamp bulbs, tail tidy indicators and number plates, what the roadside law says instead, and how a modified bike shows up in the MOT record. Free MOT history checks for cars, vans, motorcycles and lorries.
Brakes are the most common dangerous MOT fail on UK cars and vans. What each brake defect line means, what it costs to put right in 2026, and how to read it in a used vehicle's MOT history.
Suspension is the biggest single MOT defect group on UK cars and vans. What each suspension fail line means, what a spring, shock absorber, bush or ball joint costs to put right in 2026, and how to read suspension advisories in a used van's MOT history.
Tyres are 6 in 10 of every Dangerous MOT defect on UK cars and vans. What the tester checks, the 1.6mm rule, 2026 tyre prices, the free next-day retest, and how to read tyre lines in a used car's MOT record.
Lamps are 24.89 percent of every MOT defect on UK cars and vans, the biggest category of all. What each lamp defect line means, what a bulb or a headlamp aim fix costs in 2026, why the retest is free for bulbs but not for aim, and how to read lamp lines in a used vehicle's MOT history.
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Official DVSA MOT testing figures for Great Britain, laid out plainly. Test volumes, initial failure rates by class and by vehicle age, and the defect categories behind the failures.
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MOT Check UK is a trading name of Jagat IT UK Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 17474995. Registered office: 164 High Street, London Colney, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL2 1QF.