MOT Retest Fees: Free, Partial and Full Retests Explained

The three retest routes

Where the vehicle stays at the test centre for repair and is retested within 10 working days, only a partial retest is required and no fee is charged. This is the free route, and it depends on the vehicle remaining at the centre between the failed test and the retest rather than being taken away.

If the vehicle is taken away and returned to the same centre before the end of the next working day, the retest is free, but only for certain listed items. This free-listed-items route is narrower than the free route, because the free retest covers those listed items alone rather than the partial retest as a whole.

Where the vehicle is taken away and returned to the same centre within 10 working days, the centre can charge a partial retest fee. GOV.UK does not state an amount for this fee. In all other cases a full retest is needed and the full MOT fee is paid again; the maximum full fee for a car is £54.85.

Items that qualify for the free next-day retest

Several items qualify for a free retest if the vehicle is presented by the end of the next working day. For cars, these include lamps but not headlamp aim, mirrors, wipers and washers, windscreen glass, the horn, seatbelts but not their anchorages, seats, doors, the bonnet, the bootlid, the battery, registration plates, wheels and tyres, the fuel filler cap, the tyre pressure monitoring system, towbars but not the body around the anchorage points, and the VIN.

Some further items qualify only for class 5 vehicles, such as emergency exits and signs, a break glass hammer and stairs. Headlamp aim is excluded from the free next-day list, so a headlamp aim failure does not qualify for that route. Vehicles presented after the next working day, or with other defects, fall outside this free retest provision.

Driving the car away for repairs

After a failed MOT, the vehicle can be taken away only if the existing MOT certificate is still valid and no dangerous problems were listed on the failure notice. If either condition is not met, the vehicle must be repaired before it is driven away. This applies even when the car is being moved solely for repair work at another location.

While the vehicle is away from the test station, it must meet the minimum standards of roadworthiness at all times. The driver remains responsible for the condition of the car on every journey, including the trip to a garage.

Driving a vehicle that failed because of a dangerous problem carries serious penalties. The offence can mean a fine of up to £2,500, a driving ban and 3 penalty points. These consequences apply regardless of the purpose of the journey, including taking the car away for repairs.

Frequently asked questions

When is an MOT retest free because the vehicle stays at the test centre?

If the vehicle is left at the test centre for repair and retested within 10 working days, only a partial retest is needed and there is no fee.

When can a centre charge a partial retest fee?

If the vehicle is taken away and returned to the same centre within 10 working days, the centre can charge a partial retest fee. GOV.UK does not state an amount for this fee.

When is a full retest needed and what does it cost?

In all other cases a full retest is needed and the full MOT fee is paid again. The maximum full fee for a car is £54.85.

Which items qualify for a free retest if the vehicle returns by the next working day?

If the vehicle is taken away and returned to the same centre before the end of the next working day, the retest is free, but only for certain listed items. For cars these include lamps (excluding headlamp aim), mirrors, wipers and washers, windscreen glass, horn, seatbelts (not anchorages), seats, doors, bonnet, bootlid, battery, registration plates, wheels and tyres, fuel filler cap, tyre pressure monitoring system, towbars (excluding the body around the anchorage points) and the VIN.

Does a headlamp aim failure qualify for the free next-working-day retest?

No. Headlamp aim is excluded from the free next-day list, so a headlamp aim fail does not qualify for that route. A partial or full retest applies instead, depending on the circumstances.