How we source MOT cost figures
Every statutory MOT fee on this site traces to one source: the DVSA maximum fee schedule published on gov.uk. This page describes that primary source, the named secondary references used for consumer context, the refresh discipline and what we deliberately do not publish.
Primary sources
Statutory fees, the Inspection Manual definitions, the failure-rate dataset and the penalty schedule all come from named DVSA and GOV.UK pages. Each cell of the site below traces to a row in this table.
| Source | Publisher | What we use it for |
|---|---|---|
| DVSA MOT test fee schedule | Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency | Statutory maximum fee per vehicle class. Anchors every per-class price on the site. |
| DVSA MOT Inspection Manual | Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency | Defines what a tester checks for cars and light commercial vehicles. Anchors the per-page descriptions of what each class includes. |
| MOT testing data for Great Britain | Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency | Quarterly DVSA statistics on test volumes, pass and fail rates, defect category breakdowns. Anchors failure-rate-by-age and top-10 failure-category content. |
| DVSA Special Notices (rate change history) | Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency | Tracks announced changes to the fee schedule and Inspection Manual. Refresh trigger source. |
| Driving without an MOT | GOV.UK | Statutory penalty for driving without a valid MOT (fine up to £1,000). Cited on /when-is-my-mot-due and /what-happens-if-you-fail. |
| Historic vehicle exemption | GOV.UK | 40-year rolling exemption rule and the substantial-change test. Cited on /mot-exemption. |
| DVA Northern Ireland MOT test | Driver and Vehicle Agency (NI) | NI MOT system runs separately from DVSA in Great Britain. Cited where the site notes the GB / NI split. |
Secondary references (consumer context only)
The site cites a small number of named secondary references for consumer-trade-press context: typical garage charges, member-pricing patterns, named-chain publicly listed online MOT prices. Secondary references are never a substitute for the DVSA statutory rate; they appear only where the question is consumer-context (such as on /cheapest-mot) rather than statutory.
| Reference | Publisher | What we use it for |
|---|---|---|
| RAC MOT cost guide | RAC | Consumer-trade-press context on typical garage charges and seasonal promotional patterns. Never a statutory substitute. |
| AA MOT explained | AA | Consumer-trade-press context on member-pricing patterns and partner-garage network. Never a statutory substitute. |
| Halfords Autocentres MOT pricing | Halfords Autocentres | Reference for one named chain's publicly listed online MOT pricing. Used on /cheapest-mot. |
| Kwik Fit MOT pricing | Kwik Fit | Reference for one named chain's publicly listed online MOT pricing. Used on /cheapest-mot. |
Statutory fees by vehicle class
The DVSA fee schedule is the maximum a garage may legally charge for the MOT test itself. Garages may charge less, but never more. Repair work is separate and is subject to 20 percent VAT on parts and labour.
| Class | Vehicle | Max fee |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Motorcycle up to 200cc | £29.65 |
| Class 2 | Motorcycle over 200cc | £29.65 |
| Class 3 | 3-wheeled vehicle up to 450kg | £37.80 |
| Class 4 | Cars up to 8 seats, goods vehicles up to 3,000kg | £54.85 |
| Class 4a | 9-12 seat vehicles (with seatbelt installation check) | £64.00 |
| Class 5 | 13+ seat vehicles | £59.55 to £80.65 |
| Class 5a | 13+ seat vehicles (with seatbelt installation check) | £80.50 to £124.50 |
| Class 7 | Goods vehicles 3,000-3,500kg | £58.60 |
Source: DVSA MOT test fee schedule on gov.uk, verified live on 2026-05-11.
Retest rules
The DVSA free-retest framework is published alongside the fee schedule. If a vehicle fails its MOT, the following retest rules apply:
- Free full retest if the vehicle is left at the same garage overnight and re-tested the next working day.
- Free partial retest on the originally failed items only, if the vehicle is returned to the same garage within 10 working days.
- Full fee applies at any other garage or after the 10-working-day window expires.
A free partial retest is not a full re-inspection; it covers only the items that originally failed. If anything else has changed or deteriorated, the garage may charge for a full retest. See /what-happens-if-you-fail for the consumer-facing framing.
Failure data sourcing
DVSA publishes quarterly MOT testing statistics including initial pass and fail rates, defect category breakdowns and pass rates by vehicle age. The failure-rate-by-age content and the top-10 failure-category content on the site trace to this dataset.
Repair-cost bands attached to each failure category (for example £80-350 for brakes, £100-500 for suspension) are bounded ranges drawn from RAC, AA and Halfords Autocentres consumer-trade-press averages, not statutory figures. They are presented as ranges rather than point estimates because per-garage and per-vehicle variation is wide.
What we deliberately do not publish
- Live per-garage prices. Garage prices change week to week and are set below the DVSA maximum. We do not maintain a per-garage price database. Named chain prices on /cheapest-mot are reference ranges from publicly listed promotional pricing, presented as secondary-reference context only.
- Aggregator commission structures. Booking aggregators take a margin from garages on each MOT booked. We note the practice exists but do not publish the commission rate.
- Personal vehicle data. The site does not collect vehicle registrations, MOT history or any personal data. External vehicle-lookup buttons point to the GOV.UK check tool.
- Affiliate booking commerce. The site does not earn commission on MOT bookings; no booking flow is hosted here. Book MOT buttons point to gov.uk/getting-an-mot.
In scope
- Statutory MOT fees by DVSA class
- Typical garage charge bands per class (with secondary-reference attribution)
- Failure rates by vehicle age
- Top 10 failure categories with repair cost bands
- Retest rules and consumer rights
- Edge cases: historic exemption, first-MOT timing, drive-without-MOT penalty, Northern Ireland DVA split
Out of scope
- Live per-garage price lookup
- MOT booking and lead capture
- Vehicle registration lookup against DVLA
- HGV annual goods-vehicle testing (separate DVSA testing system above 3.5t)
- NI DVA per-test-centre booking and waiting lists
- Modified-vehicle individual approvals (IVA, MSVA)
Update cadence
The site updates only when the underlying reality changes. The four refresh triggers are:
- DVSA announces a change to the maximum fee schedule
- DVSA Inspection Manual revision affecting what is checked
- Vehicle classification changes that affect which fee applies
- Statutory penalty change (driving without MOT fine, etc.)
Cosmetic date bumps are not made. Footer LAST_VERIFIED rolls forward only on substantive review.
Editorial position
This site is operated by Digital Signet, an independent AI-development studio. Digital Signet does not sell MOTs, does not run a garage, does not act as a booking aggregator and does not accept paid placements from any garage chain or aggregator. See /about for the operator and the wider network.
Editorial direction is set by the Digital Signet editorial team. Drafts are produced via Digital Signet's autonomous AI development methodology and reviewed against this framework before publication. Corrections are welcome at oliver@digitalsignet.com.