MOT test fees rise

The maximum price of an MOT test will rise to £50.35 next month.

The new cap is a rise of £6.20 and will come into force from November 7.

The Government says the price hike reflects the increasing time garages spend carrying out the annual test, but claim motorists should shop around as garages can charge less, sometimes up to 20% less than the maximum cap.

'Evidence shows that the average test now takes 58 minutes,' said transport minister Dr Stephen Ladyman. 'We have kept this increase as low as possible, but it is necessary to cover the costs of the mechanics' time.

'I am sure that some MOT testing stations will continue to offer tests for less than the maximum fee.'

The Department for Transport claims MOT test fees aren't expected to rise again until April 2008 at the earliest. However the DfT is considering deregulating MOT test fees altogether, which would allow garages to set their own prices for the test.

When these plans were announced in July, 100% of whatcar.com readers who took part in our poll were against deregulation.