Government Faces Renewed Pressure to End 16-Year MOT Fee Freeze

Pressure is mounting on the Government to review the maximum MOT test fee after the Independent Garage Association stepped up its campaign over a cap that has remained unchanged for 16 years.

The maximum fee for a Class 4 MOT remains £54.85 – the same maximum price that has applied since 2010.

The Independent Garage Association (IGA) has been pressing the Department for Transport to address what it describes as an increasingly unsustainable situation for independent MOT Testing Stations.

Its argument is straightforward: while the maximum amount a garage can charge for an MOT has remained frozen, virtually every significant cost involved in providing the test has increased.

The IGA has warned that some garages are already reconsidering how much workshop capacity they dedicate to MOT testing in favour of more commercially viable service and repair work.

If that trend continues, the association believes motorists could eventually face reduced MOT availability, fewer testing locations and longer waits for appointments.

MOT fee has been frozen since 2010

The maximum amount an MOT Testing Station can currently charge for a standard Class 4 car MOT is £54.85.

That figure hasn’t increased since 2010.

It is important to remember that £54.85 is a maximum rather than a fixed price.

MOT Testing Stations are permitted to charge less, and competition between garages means discounted MOTs remain widely available.

Whatever price a station charges, however, DVSA requires the complete statutory test to be carried out to the required standard.

That creates an unusual commercial situation.

Garages are operating under a statutory maximum price set 16 years ago while simultaneously competing with other businesses offering MOTs below that already-frozen ceiling.

Government previously said it had ‘no current plans’ to increase fee

The latest pressure follows confirmation earlier this month that the Government had no immediate plans to increase the MOT fee.

The Department for Transport said it had “no current plans” to raise the maximum but stressed that the fee remained under constant review.

The department said it was working with DVSA and the industry to balance affordability for motorists with the financial sustainability of garages.

That distinction is important.

The Government hasn’t announced an MOT fee increase and there is currently no confirmed timetable for one.

But neither has it permanently ruled out changing the fee.

With industry bodies continuing to press the issue, the debate over MOT pricing is far from over.

IGA wants the maximum fee raised to at least £95

The IGA believes the maximum MOT fee now needs to increase substantially.

Its position is that the Class 4 fee should be raised to at least £95.

That would represent an increase of just over £40 on the existing £54.85 maximum.

On the face of it, that is a substantial increase.

But the IGA argues that comparing £95 simply with £54.85 ignores what has happened to garage operating costs during the intervening 16 years.

Inflation is only part of the argument.

MOT Testing Stations have also faced increased expenditure on labour, technician salaries, commercial property, energy, equipment, calibration, software, insurance, training, compliance and administration.

The test itself has also continued to evolve.

Government previously calculated inflation-linked fee at £73.50

Interestingly, the Government has previously acknowledged the effect inflation has had on the MOT fee.

During its consultation on potential changes to the first MOT test, the Department for Transport noted that the maximum MOT fee had not changed since 2010.

At that point, consumer price inflation had increased by around 34% between July 2010 and July 2022.

The Government calculated that if the maximum MOT fee had simply risen in line with that inflation, it would already have reached approximately £73.50 by 2022.

Several more years of inflation and rising business costs have passed since that calculation was made.

That provides important context for the industry’s current campaign.

The debate isn’t simply about garages wanting to increase the price of a mandatory service.

It’s about whether a statutory maximum set in 2010 remains appropriate for the economics of operating an MOT Testing Station in 2026.

Why is the IGA asking for £95?

The IGA argues that inflation alone doesn’t fully reflect the cost increases experienced by garages.

Among the pressures highlighted by the association are rising costs for:

labour and technician salaries;
commercial rent;
MOT equipment and maintenance;
energy and fuel;
compliance and administration;
staff training; and
operating and maintaining MOT testing facilities.

There are also continuing costs associated with maintaining equipment, calibration and ensuring testers remain appropriately trained and compliant with DVSA requirements.

An MOT bay also occupies valuable workshop space.

That creates an opportunity-cost problem for garages.

If a workshop can generate considerably more revenue using a bay and technician for servicing or repair work than it can from an MOT, businesses inevitably have to consider how that space is used.

Garages could reduce MOT capacity

This is at the heart of the IGA’s argument.

The association says feedback from its members indicates that a growing number of garages are already reducing the capacity they make available for MOT testing.

Rather than necessarily withdrawing from MOT testing completely, businesses can simply allocate fewer workshop hours or bays to tests and prioritise more profitable repair and servicing work.

At an individual garage, that might make commercial sense.

But if large numbers of MOT Testing Stations make the same decision, it could have wider consequences.

The IGA warns that reduced national testing capacity could ultimately mean fewer available appointments, longer waiting times and less choice for motorists.

The effect could be particularly noticeable in locations where motorists already have relatively limited access to MOT Testing Stations.

MOT testing is different from ordinary workshop work

There is another issue that deserves consideration.

An MOT isn’t simply another garage service whose price can freely move with market conditions.

It is a statutory roadworthiness inspection that millions of vehicle owners are legally required to obtain.

The Government therefore has an understandable interest in keeping the test affordable.

At the same time, garages providing that statutory service need to be able to do so sustainably.

That creates an inherent tension.

Set the maximum too high and motorists could face an unnecessary increase in the cost of motoring.

Keep it too low for too long and garages may conclude that MOT testing is no longer the best use of increasingly expensive workshop capacity.

The policy challenge is finding the point at which MOT testing remains affordable to motorists while also being commercially sustainable for the businesses providing it.

Cheap MOTs add another dimension

Even an increase in the statutory maximum wouldn’t necessarily mean motorists would suddenly pay the full amount.

The current £54.85 figure is already only a maximum.

Garages can – and frequently do – charge less.

The Department for Transport has previously acknowledged that MOT testing is a highly competitive market, with many Testing Stations historically charging substantially below the maximum.

This means there are really two separate issues in the MOT pricing debate.

One is whether the Government-set ceiling remains appropriate.

The other is the price individual garages choose to charge beneath that ceiling.

Raising the maximum would give Testing Stations greater freedom to reflect their own operating costs, but wouldn’t necessarily require every station to charge the maximum amount.

Competition between garages would still influence the price motorists actually pay.

MOT testing requirements continue to evolve

The debate is also taking place while the MOT itself continues to change.

Testing Stations have had to adapt to increasingly sophisticated vehicles, evolving emissions requirements and changes to the MOT testing process.

DVSA has also been introducing measures aimed at strengthening test integrity and combating fraud.

Meanwhile, the changing vehicle parc means garages are increasingly encountering electric vehicles, hybrids, advanced driver assistance systems and more complex electronic systems.

Not all of these technologies fundamentally change the MOT inspection itself, but they contribute to a workshop environment requiring continued investment in skills, equipment and technical knowledge.

Future policy changes could add further responsibilities.

From 2028, the Government’s planned mileage-based tax for electric and plug-in hybrid cars is expected to involve annual mileage verification, with the existing MOT system potentially playing a role.

That could place additional demands on the MOT network.

Industry discussion is continuing

The MOT fee debate is therefore unlikely to disappear.

The IGA has made increasing the MOT fee one of its priorities and has been building the case that the existing £54.85 ceiling no longer reflects the true cost of delivering the test.

Other parts of the automotive industry have also called for the fee structure to be reviewed.

An industry roundtable involving the Institute of the Motor Industry and DVSA is scheduled for 21 October 2026, bringing together trade associations, road safety organisations and other stakeholders to discuss MOT economics and the increasing demands placed on the testing network.

That meeting could prove particularly important.

It doesn’t mean a fee increase will follow, but it provides another opportunity for the industry to put evidence about the economics of MOT testing directly in front of policymakers.

What happens now?

For the moment, nothing changes for MOT Testing Stations or motorists.

The maximum Class 4 MOT fee remains £54.85.

There has been no Government announcement approving the IGA’s proposed £95 maximum, and garages should be cautious about any suggestion that a £95 MOT has already been agreed.

But the political and industry pressure for a review is clearly increasing.

The £54.85 maximum has now survived for 16 years while the costs of operating an MOT Testing Station have continued to rise.

The question facing Government is increasingly whether maintaining an affordable MOT means keeping the statutory maximum frozen – or ensuring the businesses that actually provide the test can afford to continue doing so.

For MOT Testing Stations, the next development to watch will be whether discussions between Government, DVSA and the wider industry finally translate into a formal review of the fee.

After 16 years without an increase, that review is becoming increasingly difficult to avoid.