MOT price cap should be higher, say repairers
A new survey has found that 62% of automotive workshops are in favour of a higher MOT price cap.
The government is reviewing the current MOT price cap of £54.84, with research from BookMyGarage finding that 38% of repairers believe it should be raised to between £55 and £59.
A significant 31% thought the maximum charge should be between £60 and £65 while 17% were in favour of a bigger hike of £66-£70 and 14% thought the price should be in excess of £70.
However, despite this, BookMyGarage analysis also revealed that average MOT prices last year were just £35, a modest increase on the £34.75 recorded in 2024.
Motorists who combined their MOT with a major service paid an average of just £26.92 last year, while MOTs combined with a full service averaged £31.23 and standalone MOTs were £46.20.
MOT price cap
BookMyGarage chief marketing officer Jessica Ruddick said: “Despite the desire for an increase in the MOT price cap, it is apparent that discounted tests are the norm as garages vie to attract customers in a bid to secure more lucrative servicing work.
“Even standalone MOTs are charged, on average on our platform, under the current price cap so quite what will happen should the government increase the charge remains to be seen. We could see the average discounted price increase in line with a higher cap or even fiercer discounting strategies to attract customers.”
