Motoring Deals

Halfords is offering a free MOT* (norm up to £54.85) at its 300+ Autocentres in England, Scotland and Wales when you buy anything from a Halfords retail store or online by Sun 14 Oct. But what's great about this deal is you've got until 31 Oct 2019 to claim the free MOT, so even if your MOT isn't due until next year, you can still take advantage.

With any MOT, before you go, read our checklist of the most common MOT failures and how to beat them. Also, see how to get a free annual MOT reminder.

The cheapest items we found at Halfords were a 50p sponge* or £1 car air fresheners* – so you could spend as little as 50p to qualify for a free MOT. It's better to do it in store as there's a £3.99 delivery charge for online orders under £40.

You won't be able to buy your item in store and book your MOT for the same day, as you need to wait a bit for your voucher code.

MSE Update, Mon 8 Oct at 10.15am: Halfords has told us that because this offer has been so popular, in some cases it may take a bit more than seven working days for the voucher code to arrive.

How to get the 'free' MOT

• In store, you'll need to provide your email address, postcode and vehicle registration, and you should then receive an email from Halfords within two to seven working days, containing a voucher code for your free MOT. If you buy online for delivery, you'll receive a paper voucher with a code inside your package.
• You can only book your 'free' MOT online – visit this Halfords Autocentre MOT page and add an MOT to your basket. Enter your voucher code during the checkout process. You can book an MOT from the day you receive your voucher code until 31 Oct 2019, depending on availability at your nearest Autocentre.
  
  

What if you return your purchase?

If you return your purchase, Halfords says this will invalidate your free MOT offer.

Could the offer end early?

Halfords has said there's no limit to the number of people who can claim the offer – just that it's one per person – but its terms and conditions do state that 'Halfords reserves the right to withdraw this promotion at any time', so there is a risk it could pull the offer early if it becomes very popular.

Are Halfords MOTs any good?

Like any nationwide chain, there is good and bad feedback, but at least being a biggie it gives you more avenues if something goes wrong, and you can use the free Resolver complaints tool to help, if it gets bad.

Where there are complaints about MOTs in general, they tend to be around whether garages try to push their own repairs. But if your vehicle has a dangerous fault, by law, you won't be allowed to drive it away and will have to have it repaired at the specific garage, or towed elsewhere – see how MOT rules have changed.

If unsure about using any garage, it can be safest to go to a council test centre, as they generally don't do repairs so there's little vested interest to fail you in the hope you'll spend. But because you may not always be able to drive away if there’s a big problem with your motor, there’s a small risk going to council centres.