Where can I get a cheap MOT?

There are many costs associated with owning a car, one of them being the annual MOT test for vehicles that are 3 years old or more.  It is a legal requirement for your safety, that of your passengers and other road users, that you have a valid MOT on a vehicle that you are using.  If you do not have one then you risk being fined £1000.  The standard MOT fee is £54.85 however there are many well known garages that often have discounts so you’ll never have to pay the full price again.  In fact there’s even a way to get it free!

We’ll start off with how you can get a free MOT.  If you shop at Tesco and have a Clubcard or use a Tesco Credit Card for any purchases you will be accumulating Clubcard points.  For every £2.50 worth of vouchers you earn you can exchange them for a £10 voucher at Nationwide Autocentre to help towards the cost of your MOT test or even pay for it in full.  If you don’t have a means of earning Tesco Clubcard points there are other ways to get a discounted MOT.

I have found a few discounts and vouchers to use against MOTs at Nationwide Autocentre, the best one being half price (£27.42).  All you have to do is book online or phone their free phone number and then take a printed copy of the voucher with you and present it at the time of paying.  Alternatively you can use this voucher.  Another discount is via Matalan rewards which is £20 off the price of an MOT which means you pay £35.85.

Kwik-Fit is another well-known garage.  They are currently offering a £30 discount when you book online which is a saving of 35% off the full price.

Apart from the free MOT via Tesco Clubcard the next best offer I’ve found is at Mr Clutch.  Their MOTs start from only £20 at participating branches.  Have a look on their website to locate your nearest branch and check what they’re special offer is on MOTs and print the relevant voucher.  I’ve noticed there is no expiry date on the voucher so best check you can use it when you book your MOT.

AA members can get 15% off MOTs at any of their approved garages.  An added extra the AA offer is a free collection service where they’ll collect your vehicle from either your home or place of work, take it for an MOT test at a local approved garage, complete any authorised work and then drop the car back off.  Even though it’s not a huge discount it’s worth it if you can’t take a day off work or you simply do not have the time.  This service is also available to non members but you’ll have to pay the full price of the MOT.  The price with discount is £45.90.

USEFUL TIP  It’s always worth booking your MOT test a month before the expiry date just in case you need work doing to pass.  When you get your new MOT certificate the expiry date will be a year from the expiry of your current certificate regardless of the fact your car passed it’s MOT a month before the expiry.  So no excuse to leave your MOT test till the last minute and risk not having a valid certificate.