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Cheap MOTs
Tricks to cut costs including Halfords MOT for '£1' and hidden council test centres
Updated 30 April 2021
It's not the MOT test fee but repairing 'fails' that can cost a fortune. But did you know you can get MOT tests done by councils? We run through what the test is, how to book a test cheaply and what to do if you need repairs done. The rules in this guide largely apply to England, Scotland and Wales, as they're different in Northern Ireland – see the NI Direct website for info
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MOTs: the key rules
Originally called the 'Ministry of Transport' test, it's now just an MOT. Either way, it's a safety and legal must for cars, motorbikes or any other vehicle.
Ensure you know the rules to give your car the best chance of passing – and to give you the best chance of staying safe – for less.
It's the owner's responsibility to ensure the vehicle has a valid MOT
The test information is held on a central database as well as on a paper certificate. It's the owner's responsibility to ensure their vehicle's certificate is valid, not for authorities to chase.
It's crucial to know when you should get your MOT
You need a test when the car's three years old (four years in NI), then annually after that. Timing is crucial, though. Get a test in the month before the current certificate ends and the new one will expire exactly a year from the original's end date (the earliest date you can do this is printed on your test certificate).
But get it tested more than a month before the MOT's due, and it'll expire exactly a year later, meaning you lose out. There are slightly different rules and processes for MOTs in Northern Ireland. For more info, see NI Direct.
Check when your MOT is due (and get a free reminder)
If you're not sure when your MOT is due, there's a simple MOT checker tool at Gov.uk. All you need to enter is the vehicle's registration number.
You can also get a free MOT reminder one month before your test's due via Gov.uk. You'll need to give an email address or phone number and the registration of a vehicle registered in England, Wales or Scotland. In Northern Ireland, you get a postal reminder seven weeks before your MOT's due.
Always book tests in advance if your certificate's run out
If your MOT's run out, you can still drive your car to a test centre provided the test's been booked in advance. And previously, if it failed the test you were still usually able to drive from the test station to a repair centre to get the problems that caused it to fail fixed, provided it still met a minimum standard of roadworthiness.
Yet under the rule changes that came into force in May 2018 you can't drive away if a 'dangerous' fault is found when your car's being tested, regardless of whether your existing MOT is still valid. A dangerous fault means your car has failed the MOT and is deemed to be a risk to road safety or the environment, and mustn't be driven until it's repaired. If you do, you could be fined up to £2,500, get three penalty points and be banned from driving.
If a 'major' fault is found, you car will have failed the MOT but you can drive away provided it's to get the fault reapired immediately.
If your car fails its MOT, you'll be given a 'refusal of an MOT' certificate and the vehicle will be logged on the MOT database. If you don't think it should have failed, you can appeal the result via the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).
MOT test costs are capped - for cars it's £54.85 - but you can usually get 'em much cheaper
Companies can only charge up to the official maximum for an MOT, but as we show below, you can get them much cheaper. This isn't surprising when you consider that often this guarantees they get the repair business too. The maximum test costs are £54.85 for cars or motor caravans and £29.65 for motorbikes. For a full list, see Gov.uk.
First do a DIY MOT of most common fails
Nearly 40% of MOTs fail first time, and far too many are due to a simple avoidable reason. Don't worry – this is common sense, not mechanical sense. Some of the fails you can sort yourself, others will need professional assistance. Either way, sorting it before the test is usually cheaper.
Almost one in five vehicles fail MOTs due to a bust light bulb. So walk around to check your car's indicators and headlights, front and back.
The table below lists the most common reasons for failing an MOT based on data from the DVSA, and what to do about them. Of course, we're MoneySavingExperts, not motoring experts, so the info below on how to carry out checks has come from the DVSA or RAC.
The most common MOT failures – and how to beat them
| REASON FOR FAILURE |
WHAT % OF MOTS FAILED (1) |
CHECKS TO DO BEFOREHAND |
|---|---|---|
| Lights | 14% | Are all lights fully working? Have someone sit in the car while you walk around checking every light – front, rear, headlights and dipped, hazards and indicators and number plates. You need to check front fog lights too – plus if your car was first used on or after 1 Sept 2009, check the reverse lights, and if first used on or after 1 Mar 2018, the daytime lights. If any aren't working, buy a new bulb for a few quid and replace it. It's easy in most cars, though a few do make it more complex. |
| Suspension | 10% | Check suspension. While a full suspension check is difficult, to see if the shock absorbers have gone, quickly apply your weight to each corner of the car then release. It should quickly settle back. |
| Brakes | 8% | Is there tension on the handbrake? Not easy to test yourself, and it'll need a proper mechanic to fix it. But if your brakes feel loose and unresponsive, or the handbrake slides up without resistance and can't be ratcheted at a set level, it's likely there's a problem. You should check the brake wear warning light too if you have one – it's a light on the dashboard of some cars which comes on when the brake pads have been worn down. If your car's got one and it's lit, it could fail an MOT, so get it looked into first. |
| Tyres | 7% | Check tyre pressure. To check tyre pressure, look up what they should be, and fill 'em up at a petrol station. Check tyre tread. This is the depth of grooves for road grip. The legal minimum's 1.6mm for a car tyre (enough to let surface water slip through). To measure, use the quick 20p tyre test detailed on the TyreSafe website. Pop a 20p coin on its edge into the main grooves of the tyre tread. If the outer rim of the coin is hidden, your tyres should be legal. If you can see it, get them checked. |
| Windscreen | 5% | Is the driver's windscreen damaged? Damage in the driver's central view should be no larger than 10mm. In the whole of the swept area, it should be no larger than 40mm. If it is, get it fixed pre-test (often this is included with fully-comprehensive car insurance policies). Windscreen wipers? Front wipers are in the check. They need to clear the windscreen in conjunction with the washers. If your car was first used on or after 1 Sept 2009 and it has headlight washers, check they're working too. |
| Exhaust | 4% | Is the exhaust leaking? To check, start the engine (in a well-ventilated place, at normal temperature) and from the rear of the car listen for any unusual noises or abnormal smoke. These indicate a leak, which you should fix before the MOT. If you've a diesel car with a diesel particulate filter (DPF), and there's smoke of any colour coming from the exhaust, it'll fail, so check it out before you take it to be tested. |
| Steering | 2% | Is your steering working properly? Again this isn't really easy to check for yourself, so if you think the steering is less responsive than it could be, or have noticed any other issues, it's likely you need to get it looked at. Also check for a warning light. |
| Fluids | N/A(2) | Are all fluids topped up and staying put? Check the brake fluid, windscreen washer and oil reserves. You'll need to check for fluid leaks too. |
| The rest | N/A(2) | An all-over once-over. Make sure the fuel cap is secure and mirrors are in good condition, and doors, horn, seatbelts, speedo, etc, are all fully functional. Also check no other warning lights are on, and that bumpers and floors are in good condition. |
| (1) Percentage of first-time MOT fails. Figures released by the DVSA in January 2020 (2) There are no official figures, but we know these are common fails | ||
There's a short series of DVSA videos to help you check your car before an MOT. Bear in mind these were published in 2016, so won't cover the changes which came into force in May 2018.
Next choose the right MOT test centre
For cars with faults, the MOT test fee is usually dwarfed by repair costs. While an 'MOT for £20' promotion sounds good, it's irrelevant if you're shelling out £1,500 to get problems fixed. Therefore what type of MOT you should opt for is largely dictated by your car's condition – and all the more so after new MOT rules came into force in 2018.
Is your car in tip-top condition? Find the cheapest MOT centre
If your car's in perfect condition and you'd be surprised if it failed, look for offers to get it as cheap as possible. Halfords is currently running an offer where you get a 'free' MOT with any purchase (for example, a £1 sponge).
It's worth checking local garages to see if they'll match a decent deal for a test fee you spot. Some colleges also offer cut-price MOT tests as well as repairs and servicing to the public. If you've used a college MOT centre let us know on our MOT Cost Cutting forum thread.
Here's what some of the biggest UK service and repair chains were charging for MOTs when we checked in April 2021:
- Kwik Fit – £19.71 until 30 April (normally £35)
- National Tyres and Autocare – £27.42 when you sign up for MOT reminders (normally £35)
- Mr Clutch Autocentres – £28 at 14 centres (see the full list). Others charge around £29-£30
- ATS Euromaster – £29.99
Is your car in moderate condition and likely to need only minor repairs?
If it's likely or possible that only minor repairs will be needed, council-run centres come into their own. If they spot something minor which needs fixing, you still pass the MOT. See council MOT test centres below.
As the fault was minor, you have a little time to fix it. So as soon as you reasonably can, get quotes so you can book a repair at a garage offering competitive prices.
Is your car likely to need major repairs?
If you're pretty sure your car will need substantial repairs, the best solution is to do your research, find a garage you'd be happy to carry out the repairs and then get the MOT test done there. Ask family and friends for recommendations and call around – tell the garages the likely problems, then ask for quotes.
Remember, under MOT rules, a fail means you might not be able to drive away. Under the previous system, if your car needed major repairs there was a balance to be struck – while going direct to a garage that did repairs was convenient, getting a council MOT could sometimes mean your car would fail on fewer points and you could then drive it elsewhere to get it fixed.
However under the changes that came into force in May 2018, if a 'dangerous' fault – eg, insufficient tyre tread or contaminated brake fluid – is found, you won't be able to drive it away until it's been fixed. If you go to a council test centre which doesn't do repairs, your only option will be to have it towed.
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If your car fails: MOT retest fees
If your vehicle does fail its MOT, then once the repairs have been completed it needs to be retested. Retests can be free or discounted, depending on where you had your vehicle tested in the first place.
Retest info's printed on the refusal certificate – what you'll need to do depends on what the defects are, but generally:
Retests are free when repaired at a test centre and retested within 10 days...
Handily, retests are free when the repairs are done at the test centre and the car's retested within 10 days. If repairs are done elsewhere, it's free if returned to the test centre by the end of the next working day. But to qualify for this all the failure points must be on the list below.
Test done at a council centre? Get up to half off retests when...
... the repairs are done elsewhere, provided the vehicle's brought back to the original test centre for a partial retest within 10 working days (applies to any test centre, but primarily relevant for council test centres). One partial retest's allowed per full test.
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How the MOT rules changed in 2018
In May 2018, the way the MOT test works in England, Scotland and Wales changed.
Crucially, the new rules could mean your car gets stuck at the garage if it's found to have a 'dangerous' fault, as you won't be allowed to drive it away – you'll have to get it repaired at the garage or towed elsewhere. (This could happen under the previous rules if a car was deemed 'not roadworthy', but the new rules have brought in specific checks which can take your car off the road.)
Here's a round-up of what changed:
New defect categories – if you get a 'dangerous' fault you won't be able to drive away. Problems are now be categorised as 'minor', 'major' or 'dangerous' – previously, you simply passed or failed.
- Your car will still pass if a minor fault's found, though repairs should be made as soon as possible.
- A major fault means a fail, but you'll be able to drive your car to another garage to get it fixed if it can't be repaired where it's been tested.
- If you get a dangerous fault, you won't be able to drive it away – you'll have to get it fixed on the spot or towed elsewhere.
It's worth noting you've always been forbidden from driving your car away from an MOT if it fails to meet a minimum standard of roadworthiness, so this isn't a complete change. But there are some possible 'dangerous' fails under the new rules which weren't tested for previously, such as if you have contaminated brake fluid or the floor is dangerously "deteriorated or insecure".
Unfortunately there's no easy-to-use list showing the new defect categories, but you can check how individual faults are categorised in the MOT inspection manual.
- Stricter rules for diesel cars. Stricter emissions limits for diesel cars with diesel particulate filters (DPFs) now apply – check your car's handbook to find out if it has one. Your car will get a major fault if the MOT test finds there's smoke coming from the exhaust or any evidence that the DPF's been tampered with.
- New checks as part of the test. These include whether the tyres are obviously underinflated, if the brake fluid is contaminated, if there are any fluid leaks that pose an environmental risk, brake-pad warning lights, if brake pads or discs are missing, engine malfunction indicator lamps, if cars have reverse lights and headlight washers, and if 'first used' from 1 September 2009 (the 'first used date' relates in most cases to when a vehicle's first driven out of the factory).
A few elements of the previous test which resulted in a fail have been reclassified as minor faults, such as the brake fluid level being below the minimum mark. See a full list of changes here.
- New-look MOT certificate. The MOT certificate now lists any defects found under the new categories, ie, as dangerous, major or minor faults. The Government service that allows you to check MOT history will also be updated to include them.
- Some cars over 40 years old won't need an MOT. If your car's over 40 years old (you can check this online with the DVLA) it no longer needs an MOT as long as it hasn't been modified substantially.
For full details of the changes, go to Gov.uk.
MOT rules for Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland, all MOTs are Government-run and carried out at Driver & Vehicle Agency test centres. None of these carry out repairs, and there's a fixed fee as well as some other requirements (eg, your first MOT's needed after four years). See the NI Direct website for info and to find your nearest test centre. Also see the dedicated Cheap MOTs: Northern Ireland MSE Forum thread.
Spotted out of date info/broken links? Email: brokenlink@moneysavingexpert.com
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