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MOT Retest Cost and Procedures

So, your vehicle failed its MOT test and it needs some repairs? You cannot get a certificate issued until you get it retested or re-examined. MOT retest procedures, and fees after a repair, vary depending on several key issues. Read on to check when a vehicle can have a free partial retest or get a reduced fee.

Leaving a Car for Repair after a Failed MOT

As a rule, there is no fee when you get a partial retest if:

  • The vehicle stays at the test centre for the repairs.
  • The vehicle gets retested within ten (10) working days.

Taking a Vehicle away to get Repaired

If the current MOT certificate is still valid you can take the vehicle away even after failing the test.

But, if the current MOT has already run out it becomes invalid. Even so, the law allows you to take the vehicle to:

  • Get the failed defects repaired or replaced.
  • Another pre-arranged MOT test appointment.

In either case, the vehicle must still meet the minimum standards of roadworthiness at all times to avoid a fine. You must check your vehicle is safe to drive even if it has a current MOT certificate.

Driving a vehicle in a dangerous condition can result in a fine up to £2,500. In some cases, you can also get banned from driving and receive 3 penalty points.

Note: Another section explains how to report an MOT tester for fraud and how the DVSA would investigate the incident.

Going Back the Next Working Day for MOT Retest

Taking a vehicle back to the same test centre, and before the end of the next working day, would get a free MOT retest. But, the waiver of a partial retest fee only applies if carried out on one or more of these listed car parts:

  • Access panels
  • Battery
  • Bonnet
  • Boot lid
  • Brake pedal anti slip
  • Break glass hammer (class 5 vehicles only)
  • Doors (including hinges, catches, and pillars)
  • Door open warning device (class 5 vehicles only)
  • Dropsides
  • Electrical wiring
  • Emergency exits and signs (class 5 vehicles only)
  • Entrance door remote control (class 5 vehicles only)
  • Entrance/exit steps (class 5 vehicles only)
  • Fuel filler cap
  • Headlamp cleaning or levelling devices (where headlamp alignment check is not needed)
  • Horn
  • Lamps (excluding headlamp aim)
  • Loading door
  • Main beam ‘tell-tale’
  • Mirrors
  • Rear reflectors
  • Registration plates
  • Seatbelts (not anchorages), seatbelt load limiter, and seat belt pretensioner
  • Seats
  • Sharp edges or projections
  • Stairs (class 5 vehicles only)
  • Steering wheel
  • Tailboard
  • Tailgate
  • Trailer electrical sockets
  • Towbars (excluding body around anchorage points)
  • Tyre pressure monitoring system
  • Vehicle identification number (VIN)
  • Windscreen glass, wipers, and washers
  • Wheels and tyres (excluding motorcycles and motorcycles with sidecar)

Note: Check the different class 5 vehicles on the table of vehicle classifications. It also lists the current MOT test fees.

Going Back for MOT Retest Within 10 Working Days

You can choose to take the vehicle away from the test centre to get repaired. Taking it back within ten working days means it would only need a partial retest. But, the testing centre can charge you a partial retest fee.

Note: Standard MOT rules and fees apply to all other cases. Thus, the vehicle would need a full retest and you would need to pay the cost for a full MOT test again.

Related Help Guides

Note: This short video explains how to prepare your vehicle for its MOT test and why around 1.5 million cars fail every year.

MOT Retest Rules after a Repair: Current Fees and Procedures