How much is an MOT?
The MOT Fee is fixed periodically by the Government’s executive agency the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA, previously the Vehicle Operator and Services Agency – VOSA), in conjunction with the MOT industry. Working together, the MOT Test is carried out on a variety of vehicles of different ages, using a variety of workshop configurations – all strictly defined and monitored. Having established an average time for carrying out the MOT Test in all of the various scenarios, a Statutory Fee is negotiated and set, usually for a period of one year.
The reason that the fee is reviewed annually is to accommodate the many changes which are taking place in vehicle technology and, for example, the more more stringent emission checks which are being carried out on modern vehicles – some of these changes result in either more or less time being taken to carry out the Test, while others require the purchase of expensive equipment, and all of these factors, plus inflation, are taken into consideration.
However, although a Vehicle Testing Station (VTS) may charge the full Fee as defined, and no more, it is left to individual businesses to charge less than the full fee at their own discretion, although DVSA officials may well view this as a cause for concern and further investigation.
Revised MOT Test fees as of 6 April 2010
(No Price rise announced for 2011 – 2018)
| Class of vehicle | Fee | ||
| Class 1 and 2 | Motorbicycle | £29.65 | |
| Motorbicycle with sidecar | £37.80 | ||
| Class 3 | Three Wheeled Vehicles (up to 450kg U.L.W). | £37.80 | |
| Class 4 | Cars (up to eight passenger seats) and Motor Caravans 3 Wheeled Vehicles (over 450kg U.L.W.) Quads (max. U.L.W 400kg – for goods vehicles 550kg and max. net power 15kW) Dual Purpose Vehicles Private Hire Vehicles and PSVs (up to 8 seats) Goods Vehicles (up to 3000kg D.G.W.) Ambulances and Taxis | £54.85 | |
| Private Passenger Vehicles and Ambulances (9 – 12 passenger seats) | £57.30 | ||
| Class 4A | Includes seat belt installation check (9 – 12 passenger seats) | £64.00 | |
| Class 5 | Private Passenger Vehicles and Ambulances (with 13 or more passenger seats)Playbuses | 13 – 16 passenger seats more than 16 passenger seats | £59.55 |
| £124.50 | |||
| Class 5A | Includes seat belt installation check | 13 –16 passenger seats More than 16 passenger seats | £80.50 |
| £124.50 | |||
| Class 7 | Goods Vehicles (over 3000kg up to 3500kg) | £58.60 | |
| Partial Retest Fee | Half Test Fee | ||
| Maximum fee for duplicate certificate | £10 | ||
A note about VAT on the Test Fee
The MOT Fee itself is not subject to VAT if the issuing garage is an MOT Testing Station. However, from the HMRC website: “The unapproved garage will, however, have to account for VAT on the full amount of the invoice if it chooses not to treat the amount charged by the test centre as a disbursement, does not satisfy all the disbursement conditions, or makes a profit on the MOT transaction”.