How much does an MOT cost? The cost of an MOT depends on a variety of factors, including the type of vehicle being tested (i.e. car, light commercial, motorcycle etc) and also the test centre being used.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) do not set a minimum price for an MOT, only a maximum price.

For cars (which are class 4 MOTs), the maximum charge is £54.85.

For motorcycles (which are class 1 and 2), the maximum charge is £29.65.

Value added tax (VAT) is not charged on MOTs.

You can check the maximum charge for your specific vehicle at https://www.gov.uk/getting-an-mot/mot-test-fees

Many car owners pick their MOT test centre, opting for the cheapest MOT cost, which is usually in the region of £25 to £30. Whilst opting for a cheaper MOT may seem like a good idea, I would raise one question, why is it so cheap?

The average hourly labour rate in a workshop is anywhere from £50 to £75 per hour. An MOT takes between 45 minutes and 60 minues (1 hour), so why would a workshop charge you effectively half their hourly labour rate to complete an MOT test?

Many workshops, even those with low MOT fee's, test fairly and the reason they charge a lower fee is in the hope that should your vehicle fail an MOT, they will be asked to complete the repair work. On the other than, there are a small minority of workshops that actively look to fail your vehicle, some going as far as failing your vehicle when there is no reason.

A lot of independent MOT testing stations are now slowly increasing their prices so they are either very close to or at the maximum MOT fee.