Has the MOT price gone up?
No. The most a garage in Great Britain can charge for a car's MOT is still £54.85, the same as in 2010. The headlines about an MOT price increase in the UK come from a trade campaign, and nothing has changed.
The Independent Garage Association (IGA), a trade body for independent garages, wants the government to raise that maximum to at least £95. It says it has met officials from the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). No decision has been announced.
All of this is about England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland runs its own vehicle testing with its own fees. This page is part of our guide to MOT, road tax and staying legal.
What has actually been proposed?
The request is simple. On 17 August 2026 the IGA said publicly that the MOT fee should be "at least £95". That would be a rise of about 73% on today's cap. Autocar reports that the IGA represents more than 4,500 businesses.
On 28 September 2026 the IGA said it had met officials from the DfT and DVSA to press its case. That's the IGA's own account. The campaign isn't new either. The IGA reported a similar meeting with DfT and DVSA policymakers in March 2025.
Officials aren't ministers. The IGA says it's now seeking a meeting with "the Transport Minister responsible for the MOT regime". Car Dealer Magazine's report of the same day names Heidi Alexander, who gov.uk lists as Secretary of State for Transport. That meeting has been asked for, not held.
The government hasn't agreed to anything. In October 2025 the IGA said the DfT had confirmed it was reviewing the MOT fee and would consult "stakeholders" later that year. It named the minister who confirmed this as Lilian Greenwood, Minister for Local Transport at the time. I haven't found any published record of that consultation, or of what the review concluded.
In August 2026 a DfT spokesperson told the press the department had "no current plans to increase the MOT fee", but keeps it "under constant review".
What is the MOT fee cap today?
It's a legal maximum. Gov.uk puts it plainly: "There's a maximum amount MOT test stations can charge." For a car with up to eight passenger seats, which is a Class 4 vehicle, that maximum is £54.85. You don't pay VAT on the fee.
A maximum isn't a fixed price. DVSA's MOT testing guide tells test stations the fees "are the maximum that may be charged". It adds that they're "permitted to charge less" than the statutory fee for a test.
£54.85 isn't the cap for every vehicle either. A standard motorcycle is capped at £29.65. Petrol, diesel and hybrid vans over 3,000kg and up to 3,500kg are Class 7, capped at £58.60, as our guide to buying a used van explains. Passenger vehicles with 13 or more seats are Class 5, and their caps start at £59.55.
This page is only about the fee. For what the tester looks at, see our MOT checklist.
Why has the cap stayed at £54.85 since 2010?
Because nobody has changed the law. The fee is set by regulation 20 of the Motor Vehicles (Tests) Regulations 1981. A 2010 amendment, SI 2010/449, raised the Class 4 figure from £54.00 to £54.85 on 6 April 2010. The current text on legislation.gov.uk still shows £54.85, with no later change to that figure.
That's 16 years at the same cap. The IGA argues that garages' costs have climbed the whole time. Its August statement lists labour, rent, equipment, fuel, energy, compliance, administration and staff training.
The IGA also says a survey of its members shows strong support for a rise, and that a growing number of garages are already cutting back on MOT work. Treat both as a trade body making its own case. Its statement gives no numbers from that survey.
What would a £95 cap mean for you?
Today, nothing. Your next MOT falls under the £54.85 cap unless the law changes first.
If the cap did move to £95, that would be a new ceiling, nothing more. A garage charging less than the cap today wouldn't have to put its price up. At a cap of exactly £95, a garage charging the full £54.85 now could add up to £40.15 per test.
But a higher ceiling gives garages more room to raise prices, and I'd expect some to use it. I haven't found a published estimate of what a typical MOT would cost under a £95 cap, so be wary of any figure you see quoted.
The MOT is one bill among several. Our guide to used car running costs shows where it sits in a year of owning a car.
How do you pay less for an MOT right now?
Shop around. The cap is a ceiling, so garages are free to compete below it, and Autocar's report notes that many businesses charge a discounted rate. None of this depends on how the campaign ends.
- Ring two or three local test stations and ask what they charge for a Class 4 MOT.
- Ask whether there's a deal for booking a service and an MOT together.
- Ask about retests before you book, because the rules decide whether a fail costs you twice.
Gov.uk sets out those retest rules. Leave the car at the test centre for repair, get it retested within 10 working days, and there's no fee. Take it away and bring it back within 10 working days, and you can be charged a partial retest fee.
Before you book, run your plate through our free MOT check. It shows the car's past results, failure reasons and advisories, so you know what might need fixing first. Budgeting for a first car? Our guide to the best used cars for new drivers covers the MOT alongside the other running costs.
Does this affect Northern Ireland?
No. In Northern Ireland, vehicle tests are carried out by the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA). It's a separate body from DVSA, and it has its own fees. Nidirect lists the full test fee for a car at £38.
That fee has its own history. The Department for Infrastructure raised it from £30.50 to £38 for tests booked from 1 October 2023. It said this was the first increase for most vehicle test fees since 2005.
So the 16-year freeze and the £95 campaign are a Great Britain story. Nothing in it changes what you pay for a test in Northern Ireland.
What happens next?
Nobody has given a date. The IGA says it'll keep pressing, and the DfT says it keeps the fee under review. Neither of those is a timetable.
The figure to trust is the one on gov.uk's MOT test fees page, because if the cap changes, that page changes. If the government does announce a decision, we'll cover it as a news story of its own.
Until then, the cap is £54.85. And you can still pay less.
Common questions
Has the MOT test price gone up in 2026?
No. The maximum fee for a car's MOT in Great Britain is still £54.85. It was set in 2010 and hasn't changed since. A garage trade body is asking for a higher cap, but no decision has been announced.
What is the current maximum price for an MOT?
For a car with up to eight passenger seats, it's £54.85. That's the Class 4 fee, and you don't pay VAT on it. Other vehicles have their own caps, such as £29.65 for a standard motorcycle.
Why do some garages charge less than £54.85 for an MOT?
Because they're allowed to. The £54.85 figure is a maximum. DVSA's guide for test stations says they can charge less than the statutory fee. The test itself must still be done in full.
Will the MOT fee cap rise to £95?
Nobody knows yet. The Independent Garage Association wants a cap of at least £95. In August 2026 the Department for Transport said it had no current plans to increase the fee, but that it keeps the fee under review.
Does the £95 MOT fee proposal apply in Northern Ireland?
No. Northern Ireland's tests are run by the Driver & Vehicle Agency, with separate fees. Nidirect lists a car's full test at £38. The campaign is about the cap in England, Scotland and Wales.
How can I find a cheaper MOT under the current cap?
Ring a few local test stations and compare prices, and ask about a deal for a service and MOT together. Check the retest terms too. A free retest can save you paying twice if the car fails.