MOTs are a necessary but potentially expensive evil, especially when some dodgy garages mark as faulty, things that would pass elsewhere in order to generate business for their own repair services. There's an easy way to bypass these charges, with many MoneySavers reporting savings of £100 - £500.
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 Don't let MOT costs run you into the ground |
Having a valid MOT certificate is an important safety and legal must for all drivers. There are two costs and it's important to look at both in conjunction.
- The MOT itself. The fees aren't fixed, but there are set maximums for tests. These are £50.35 for cars and motor caravans; £34.65 for motorbikes with side cars or £27.15 for motorbikes.
- The Cost of Repairs. This is the really big one, you may be able to find a cheap special offer £20 MOT, but if the repairs on the back end come to £1,500, then that's irrelevant.
The Big Trick To Cut Costs - Use local MOT centres.
This is all about using Local Council/Government MOT test centres. Many local councils have their own MOT testing stations for council vehicles (i.e. buses and ambulances). Yet by law these test centres must be open to the general public. As they only carry out tests, and not repairs, there's no incentive for mechanics to find faults that don't exist.
Thousands of savvy MoneySavers have used these test centres and report their cars consistently passed the test or were told they needed fewer repairs when compared to having MOTs done at other garages. A typical comment is, "“My usual garage said to make it pass its MOT, repairs would cost almost £1,000. Following the article, I took it to the council test centre instead and it passed without any work needed.” If you follow this system, please feedback via the MOT test discussion area.
So while you may miss out on the special ‘cheap MOT testing' deal, the money you save in repairs should make up for it. Of course there are no guarantees, you may go to a Local Council test centre and be told repairs are needed, which is good, as it's for your safety and you always want to know if your car's got a problem.
Is this a safety compromise?
It's important to remember this isn't about getting a shoddy quick MOT that passes your car. Council run MOT centres are often some of the best out there, and they run the safety test stringently.
For example, one MoneySaver reports that having been quoted £700 of repairs to pass by his local dealer, he then got it passed without the need for repairs at the council centre. Due to this he reported the dealer to trading standard who took the car back and got it retested there; at which point it passed with no need for repairs. So he wrote to the dealer requesting a return of the test fee for 'non-compliance with the Road Traffic Act' and got a cheque with the money.
If you think a test has not been carried out satisfactorily you can get an appeal form from the garage and the VOSA will re-test your car. The DirectGov website has details on how to go about this.
If you're not using a council-run garage
While this is about council-run MOT centres there are plenty of reputable independent garages that will do your MOT. If you're concerned about booking then check your local council's website to see if it has a list of vetted garages
Use the table below to find a test centre in your area that just does MOTs. If there's not one listed, try phoning your local county or borough council, or look on their website, which would be yourarea.gov.uk, for example www.dudley.gov.uk. The council should be able to tell you your nearest one.
This list is compiled with the feedback of MoneySavers across the country; so if you find one please add it to the Cheap MOT discussion. However as it's compiled by public feedback, do always check the details and its MOT status before using it.
If your vehicle does fail its MOT, then once the repairs have been completed it needs to be retested.
The retest is free if:
The retest is free if the repairs are done at the test centre and it's retested within ten days. They are also free if the repairs are done elsewhere and it's returned to the test centre by the end of the next working day. However to qualify for this all the failure points must be within the following list:
Bonnet, boot lid, brake pedal anti-slip, direction indicators, doors, dropsides, fuel filler cap, hazard warning, horn, lamps, loading door, mirrors, rear reflectors, registration plates, seatbelts (but not anchorages), seats, sharp edges or projections, steering wheel, tailboard, tailgate, vehicle identification number (VIN), windscreen and glass, windscreen wipers/washers, wheels and tyres (though these last two are not applicable to motorbikes and sidecars).
The retest is half the fee if:
The retest is only half the fee if the repairs are done elsewhere and are brought back to the original test centre for a retest within ten working days.
There is a fine balance here. The likelihood is if you need repairs, the cost of the additional half-fee that may be necessary will be small compared to the cost of the repairs. The feedback from MoneySavers who've followed this is that the savings from the lack of repairs needed after using a Local Council MOT centre are much greater than any potential extra fee cost.
What happens if your car fails its MOT and you really don't think it should have?
All MOT testing stations, including those run by local authorities, are approved and checked by VOSA. If you're concerned about the way in which your MOT was carried out you can appeal the procedure though it will mean stumping up a test fee again (but if the appeal is successful this will be refunded). For more details on how to appeal MOT decisions have a look at the DirectGov website
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