# Â£55 for an MOT... was I ripped off?



## Alex1975 (Jan 13, 2012)

Hi All, 

I use the same garage in our village for everything and have never had a problem with his work, he always seems to find me parts from recking yards if needed and so on.

My wife took my car for an MOT today and I thought Â£55 was a bit much... is it?

Al


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## stevie_r (Jan 13, 2012)

http://mottesting.org.uk/mot-charges-costs-information.html


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## Alex1975 (Jan 13, 2012)

stevie_r said:



http://mottesting.org.uk/mot-charges-costs-information.html

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Thanks very much


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## stevie_r (Jan 13, 2012)

No problem


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## Aztecs27 (Jan 13, 2012)

Alex1975 said:



			Hi All, 

I use the same garage in our village for everything and have never had a problem with his work, he always seems to find me parts from recking yards if needed and so on.

My wife took my car for an MOT today and I thought Â£55 was a bit much... is it?

Al
		
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In short, yes.

The maximum you're supposed to be charged it Â£50..plus some pence. MOT charges are set by the DVLA or some other driving organisation and should be uniform across the board. 

Places can charge what they want for an MOT as long as it doesn't exceed that amount. I usually pay Â£39 at the place I go to.


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## richart (Jan 13, 2012)

Did your garage do the MOT themselves, or did they take it somewhere else ?


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## chrisd (Jan 13, 2012)

The same as I paid at my village garage. At least I was able to wander home and have a cuppa while they did it and it also keeps the garage in the village alive



Chris


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## HomerJSimpson (Jan 13, 2012)

Interesting as HID is taking our car in for its MOT tomorrow. I'll pass the link on


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## BTatHome (Jan 13, 2012)

Aztecs27 said:



			In short, yes.

The maximum you're supposed to be charged it Â£50..plus some pence. MOT charges are set by the DVLA or some other driving organisation and should be uniform across the board. 

Places can charge what they want for an MOT as long as it doesn't exceed that amount. I usually pay Â£39 at the place I go to.
		
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.gov link


The .gov link above says different value .... I agree with what you say, just not the figure you quote


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## Aztecs27 (Jan 13, 2012)

BTatHome said:



.gov link


The .gov link above says different value .... I agree with what you say, just not the figure you quote 

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Probably gone up since last year then, but you get my drift. He was DEFINITELY over charged by 15p though!


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## BTatHome (Jan 13, 2012)

Aztecs27 said:



			Probably gone up since last year then, but you get my drift. He was DEFINITELY over charged by 15p though!
		
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Exactly, that 15p could buy a couple of tees for the weekend 

I must say I have no idea when the last price change was, just seems strange to have 2 very official sites being different.


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## fundy (Jan 13, 2012)

mine cost Â£25, you got ripped off


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## Val (Jan 13, 2012)

I paid Â£55


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## CallawayKid (Jan 13, 2012)

Mine cost me a score, pint of wife beater and a packet of hog lumps 

CK


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## DappaDonDave (Jan 13, 2012)

Â£30 or Â£35 I pay... Â£55 is a bit steep


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## Imurg (Jan 13, 2012)

We pay nowt.
The garage we bought the car from MOT's it every year at the annual service for nothing - part of the deal.
My car's never more than 18 months old so that doesn't need doing either!!


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## wull (Jan 13, 2012)

up this way the average cost seems to be around Â£53.

i took my bike to my mates garage in edinburgh at the start of 2010 and it cost me Â£10 for the mot,i think at that time the usual price for a bike mot was Â£30 roughly.


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## Andy (Jan 13, 2012)

wull said:



			up this way the average cost seems to be around Â£53.

i took my bike to my mates garage in edinburgh at the start of 2010 and it cost me Â£10 for the mot,i think at that time the usual price for a bike mot was Â£30 roughly.
		
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What you riding Wull?


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## thecraw (Jan 13, 2012)

Andy said:



			What you riding Wull?
		
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Pervert!


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## Andy (Jan 13, 2012)

thecraw said:



			Pervert!
		
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You can ride pillion lol


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## thecraw (Jan 13, 2012)

Andy said:



			You can ride pillion lol
		
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Is she hot?


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## Andy (Jan 13, 2012)

thecraw said:



			Is she hot?
		
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Stewing


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## wull (Jan 13, 2012)

Andy said:



			What you riding Wull?
		
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not anymore 

i had a c model zx9r but crashed it at knockhill back in september 2010.was planning on fixing it back up and doing more but couldn't afford to.


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## SocketRocket (Jan 13, 2012)

A Pony seems a bit steep my place charged me Â£35.  They are just outside the Golf Club so will drop you off and pick up again after the match.   Perfik.


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## Andy (Jan 13, 2012)

wull said:



			not anymore 

i had a c model zx9r but crashed it at knockhill back in september 2010.was planning on fixing it back up and doing more but couldn't afford to.
		
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My m8 in Ireland ended up in a coma coming off his 9. Bad omen for them lol


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## Smiffy (Jan 14, 2012)

My old place used to charge Â£39.95 for an MOT. The place I am at now (Nissan main dealer) charges full whack (just over Â£50.00 I think). I have seen MOT's advertised locally for as low as Â£29.95. A garage will charge as much as it can up to the maximum whilst still trying to stay competitive. So you weren't "ripped off" but you could have got it cheaper if you have shopped around.


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## HomerJSimpson (Jan 14, 2012)

HID paid Â£54.85 for the MOT today at an Inchcape dealership. Sounds about spot on with the government guidelines and as it passed first time I wasn't too fussed


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## Mark_G (Jan 14, 2012)

VOSA set a maximum price for an MOT of Â£54.85. This reflects the costs of a technician for 1 hour, and the equipment required to complete an MOT, including buying the MOT slots from VOSA. The price can be reduced for any reason, however VOSA take a dim view of discounting below an uneconomic level or combination offer such as free MOT with a service. If you go to a VOSA test centre the cost will be the full charge, including a charge for a partial retest up to 10 working days after the original, which many private test centres carry out free of charge.


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## brendy (Jan 14, 2012)

Â£54 quid? And there was me thinking NI centralised MOT testing was a ripoff at Â£30.


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## StrangelyBrown (Jan 15, 2012)

Am I the only one that is suspicious of a cheap MOT? I'm certain that they'll 'find' things that need done. For instance, my wife's car was MOT'd at a main stealer who failed the car because of corrosion to the brakes. Me, being the suspicious type, put the car into the local council MOT station (who do not have a repairs department). 
They passed the car with no advisories.
In my experience, garages seem to mention the brakes no matter what's happening in the hope that the owner thing "OMFG I'm going to die in a massive fiery crash, here have Â£250 to mend things" when in actual fact there's nothing wrong with them.
Point in case, I put my car in for service not long after I got it and they advised me to change the front disks and pads. I wasn't for paying the cash they said it'd take to do it so I did it myself for about a hundred quid. At the very next service they again said that they recommend changing the front disks and pads.
Maybe the main dealers in Edinburgh are all crooks, maybe I'm unlucky, but now I just don't trust a word I'm told by a main stealer.

No offence to anyone that works in a garage, i'm just jaded with the whole lot of them.


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## Smiffy (Jan 15, 2012)

Appreciate what you say, but the MOT tester who worked at my old place (where we charged Â£39.95 for a test) was as straight as they come. His reputation was on the line, and he took pride in his work. Not saying that some of the other cheaper places don't try it on though. Unfortunately, some bad apples will rot the whole barrel.


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## StrangelyBrown (Jan 15, 2012)

Like I said Rob, no offence intended, i'm sure 99% of garages are straight up. I've been burned by a number of garages in Edinburgh so I now take my cars to a trusted indie and even then I check out parts prices on the net to make sure everything is kosher. It's a shame there are a few lowlifes that abuse what is a position of trust.


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## Mark_G (Jan 15, 2012)

Very unusual for an MOT tester or garage to target certain items, as stated previously the testers reputation is on the line. All results are monitored and monthly reports checked against national averages, any discrepancies are picked up by VOSA and are investigated. Testers are quality controlled a minimum of once every two months and telephone interviews of key staff are carried out annually with a spot check carried out at random every two years. The MOT test is probably at its highest level of uniform standard across test centres it has ever been. If you believe a test result is incorrect contact VOSA and appeal against the result. (Appeal forms are available at every test centre).


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## redrobin (Mar 1, 2013)

Alex1975 said:



			Hi All, 

I use the same garage in our village for everything and have never had a problem with his work, he always seems to find me parts from recking yards if needed and so on.

My wife took my car for an MOT today and I thought Â£55 was a bit much... is it?

Al
		
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That is about standard nowadays. Some garages offer cheap mot to lure you in so that they can ROB YOU BLIND!


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## Hooper (Mar 1, 2013)

Alex1975 said:



			Hi All, 

I use the same garage in our village for everything and have never had a problem with his work, he always seems to find me parts from recking yards if needed and so on.

My wife took my car for an MOT today and I thought Â£55 was a bit much... is it?

Al
		
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Â£30 for my passat at Kwik Fit in Berko. If you go back to them following year I think you get more off.


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## Andy808 (Mar 1, 2013)

wull said:



			not anymore 

i had a c model zx9r but crashed it at knockhill back in september 2010.was planning on fixing it back up and doing more but couldn't afford to.
		
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Fighter it and flog it on. Do a good job and it will pay for your next bike.



Andy said:



			My m8 in Ireland ended up in a coma coming off his 9. Bad omen for them lol
		
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This is why I have never ridden a green bike, always believed it was bad luck.


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## DappaDonDave (Mar 1, 2013)

redrobin said:



			That is about standard nowadays. Some garages offer cheap mot to lure you in so that they can ROB YOU BLIND!
		
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Joining a golf forum to dig up a 13 month old thread about MOTs. Love your passion for vehicle maintenance sir


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## RGDave (Mar 1, 2013)

StrangelyBrown said:



			Am I the only one that is suspicious of a cheap MOT? I'm certain that they'll 'find' things that need done.
		
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Let's face it. Cheap MOTs are a way to generate work and sell parts. 

I pay Â£50. If the maximum allowable is Â£50.35, then basically, they'll taking the mick.

Even at Â£50 they are not good value. They can be done in 20 minutes (or just over) by an experienced tester.

Personally, I don't complain, as my place talks me through everything afterwards and explains what I need to do with advisories by this time next year.....


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## Idlenorth1 (Mar 1, 2013)

Â£35 for my rx8 at my usual family garage, he has a great reputation for being honest, fair prices and will NOT do any work unless agreed with your first on parts needed and price. 
Also he advises on what will need doing, ie last service he told me rear pads and discs have around 3 months left in them. No hassle to book in or use him, just advising (I took it back in around 10 weeks later)


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