MOT test, £34.85
The legal maximum for a class 4 car is £54.85 and hasn’t moved since 2010. We charge £34.85 and don’t dress it up as a limited offer. Around an hour, while you wait, with the tester happy to walk you round anything he’s written down.
Test one calendar month minus a day before it expires and the new certificate still runs from your old expiry date. You lose nothing and you gain a month of breathing room for repairs.
Book earlyWhat the law actually says
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| First MOT | Three years from first registration |
| After that | Every twelve months |
| Maximum fee, class 4 car | £54.85 — a cap, not a price |
| Our fee | £34.85 |
| Early testing window | One calendar month minus a day, keeping the same renewal date |
| Driving without one | Fine of up to £1,000, and your insurance may be affected |
| Allowed without a valid MOT | Driving to a pre-booked test, or to a garage for repairs after a failure |
An MOT is a snapshot of minimum roadworthiness on the day. It isn’t a service and it isn’t a guarantee that nothing will go wrong next week — which is why we’ll always tell you if something looks close to the line.
What actually happens
- Arrive or drop the keys. Wait in the office — there’s decent coffee and Wi-Fi that works — or leave it and we’ll ring.
- Test takes about 45–60 minutes. Lights, brakes, steering, suspension, tyres, emissions, structure, visibility.
- You get the result explained. Pass, pass with advisories, or fail — with the tester showing you anything on the sheet.
- Repairs are quoted separately. Nothing is fixed automatically because it failed. You decide, and you can take it elsewhere.
A failure isn’t an instruction to buy from us. You’re free to take the car anywhere for the repairs — and if you bring it back within ten working days it’s a partial retest rather than a full one. Some garages don’t mention that.
Two pages worth reading before you book
MOT with a service
| Combination | Price inc. VAT |
|---|---|
| MOT only, class 4 | £34.85 |
| MOT + interim service | £139 |
| MOT + full service | £219 |
| MOT + manufacturer service | £269 |
| Partial retest after 10 working days | £34.85 |
| Partial retest within 10 working days, repairs done here | free |
Doing both at once saves you a second trip and means anything found on the service gets fixed before the test rather than after it.
MOT, answered
Why is yours cheaper than the cap?
Because £54.85 is a legal ceiling, not a recommended price. The test takes us an hour and we’d rather you came here for the servicing and repairs too.
Do you fail cars to sell repairs?
No, and we’d be risking the testing licence if we did. Failures are recorded on the DVSA system and are auditable. If you want a second opinion on a failure from anywhere — including ours — you’re entitled to one.
Can I watch the test?
There’s a viewing area, yes. You can’t stand in the bay, but you can see it and the tester will come and show you anything he’s writing down.
What’s an advisory?
Something that passed today but is heading towards a fail — a pad at 3 mm, a tyre at 2 mm, a slight play in a joint. It’s information, not an invoice. We’ll tell you which advisories need doing now and which will comfortably wait a year.
Do you test vans and motorhomes?
Class 4 only, which covers cars, most small vans and light 4×4s up to 3,000 kg. Larger vans (class 7) and bikes we don’t test — we’ll point you to someone nearby who does.