Minimum MOT price unsustainable, warns Cleevely Group
Cleevely Group is calling for a rise to the minimum MOT price after fourth-generation family member Lotte Cleevely highlighted the cap hasn’t changed since she was born.
The 16-year-old has now produced a short social media video pointing out how prices for other goods and services have risen while the MOT price cap has remained fixed at £54.85.
Her video compares the price of brake pads and discs, which has risen from £62.56 in 2010 to £157.15, and a pint of milk, which has increased from 44p to 83p.
She said: “Garage Industry Trends show the average labour rate is £100 per hour including VAT. So why is the cost of an MOT almost half of that? This figure is too low for the significant amount of time, resources, and equipment costs to carry out the required MOT.”
Matt Cleevely, managing director of Cleevely Group, added: “When your 16-year-old daughter points out that the MOT fee hasn’t moved a single penny in her entire lifetime, it really brings home how long this issue has been going on.
“Lotte is gaining experience in our business and looking at the aftermarket with a fresh perspective. She couldn’t understand why a professional business would commit an hour of workshop time, an expert tester and expensive calibrated equipment for a fee that falls so far below the standard hourly labour rate. It’s a fair question.
“We all know the MOT fee hasn’t kept pace with reality, but simply demanding a massive hike isn’t going to get traction with government. What makes far more commercial sense for independent garages is a statutory minimum fee floor that protects the viability of our testing bays without pricing motorists out of essential maintenance.”
