MOT and service cost
Published by the Serviced247 editorial teamLast reviewed 24 October 2026
A combined MOT and service bill has two very different halves: a legally capped test fee and an entirely unregulated maintenance price.
The MOT half
The MOT fee is capped by law. The DVSA sets a statutory maximum fee for each vehicle class, and a garage may charge that maximum or less - many discount it, particularly when it is booked alongside a service. Check the current maximum fee for your class on GOV.UK.
A retest may be free or reduced if the car is left at the test centre or returned within the allowed window and only the relevant items are re-checked. Ask the garage's retest policy up front.
The service half
The service price is set entirely by the garage and reflects the tier of service, the oil and parts used and the local labour rate. This is the half worth shopping around on, because it is the half that varies.
Price ranges on this page are Serviced247 editorial estimates of typical UK independent-garage pricing. They are not quotes, no garage is bound by them, and they vary by vehicle, parts and location. See our methodology for how we produce them.
Budgeting for failures and advisories
The biggest variable in a combined bill is not the test or the service - it is the repair work. Ask for an itemised estimate before repairs start, and ask which advisories genuinely need doing now versus at the next service.