So your car has failed its MOT and you’re looking at a piece of paper detailing what’s not right with it. Don’t worry, there’s still hope for your car. In fact, in some cases – aside from the work required to get the car back to a passable standard – you may not even have to pay an MOT retest fee.
Let us here at Scrap Car Comparison take you through every step of the journey and get you back on the road – or alternatively, we can help take all the stress away in a hassle-free manner and get some money back into your account.
What is an MOT retest?
Not all MOT test failures are an instant death knell for your car, with some failures being quick and easy fixes. Failures surrounding tyres, lights, brakes and windscreen wipers are all relatively easy to fix and can often be sorted on the same day as the original test.
Do you pay for an MOT retest?
There are a few instances where there is no MOT retest fee involved. If you leave your vehicle at the test centre for the repairs to take place, you will only require a partial retest. That is, if it is done within the next 10 working days. Then, you won’t have to pay any additional fees.
If your car is roadworthy and the previous MOT is yet to run out, you may take your car away for repairs. If the MOT has run out then you can only drive your car to have the failures rectified and then back to a prearranged MOT test appointment.
In either instance, providing you bring the car back to the same test centre by the end of the next working day, and the defects can be found on the list of criteria specifying free retests, you will not have to pay again for a partial retest.
If you take the car away to be repaired and do not return by the end of the next working day, you have 10 working days where you may be charged a partial retest fee, however in any other case you will need to get the car fully retested and pay the full MOT test fee once again.
Read More
- The Most Common MOT Fails and How to Avoid Them
- Does my Classic Car need Tax and MOT?
- MOT Preparation You Can Do With Your Vehicle
What repairs allow me a free retest?
If your MOT has failed because of one of the following items and you return by the end of the next working day, you will not have to pay a partial retest fee:
- Access panels
- Battery
- Bonnet
- Boot lid
- Brake pedal anti-slip device
- Doors (including hinges, catches and pillars)
- Drop-sides
- Electrical wiring
- Fuel filler cap
- Headlamp cleaning or levelling devices
- Horn
- Lamps (excluding headlamp aim)
- Loading door
- Main beam ‘tell-tale’
- Mirrors
- Rear reflectors
- Registration plates
- Seatbelts (but not anchorages)
- Seats
- Sharp edges or projections
- Steering wheel
- Tailboard
- Tailgate
- Trailer electrical sockets
- Towbars (excluding body around anchorage points)
- Tyre pressure monitoring system
- Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
- Windscreen glass, wipers and washers
- Wheels and tyres (excluding motorcycles and motorcycles with sidecars)
You can learn more about exactly what is checked during an MOT here.
Options For Repair And Appeal
If your car fails its retest, you have a few options available to you:
You can persist and attempt to have the vehicle repaired then retested again – but bear in mind that you’ll have to abide by the same 10-day restrictions. Plus, you could end up failing again. In that case, you should probably just SORN the car until you can work out a plan.
An alternative option that many drivers choose to take is to simply scrap the vehicle. It might sound like an extreme solution, but vehicle repairs can sometimes cost more than the car is even worth! But, if you can’t justify your repair bill, scrap it instead – turn money lost into money gained.
Appealing A Test Result
Think your MOT has been incorrectly marked as an MOT fail? You can appeal this decision by asking the DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) to intervene and check over your vehicle themselves. To do this you’ll need to inform the test centre initially, then fill in the VT17 complaint form which can be found here.
Fun fact: You are allowed to appeal an MOT result if your vehicle passed but you think it should have failed. We doubt the DVSA receives many of those appeals, though…
How much is a partial MOT retest?
The MOT retest cost will depend on a number of figures surrounding your second test. The partial MOT retest fee will be half the price of a full test, which is set at a maximum of £54.85, so the most you can be charged for a partial MOT retest is £27.43. However, some garages will offer reduced rates for their MOT pricing, so you could save yourself a little cash if you look around before booking your initial test.
How long do you have to retest your MOT?
You have 10 working days to get your MOT retested before having to pay for a second full MOT test.
If you are taking your car away for repairs, you have until the end of the next working day to bring the car back to the same test centre to avoid paying for any MOT retest fees, otherwise you will incur a partial retest fee. If you leave your car at the MOT test centre for the repairs to take place then you have 10 working days to have a free partial MOT retest.
Can I drive my car while waiting for an MOT retest?
Providing your previous MOT certificate is still valid, then you can drive your vehicle away, as long as it still meets the minimum standards of roadworthiness. This means the car must have clear windows, working brakes and lights and with tyre tread no shallower than 1.6mm.
If your MOT has run out then you are only allowed to take your vehicle away if you are taking it to have the failed elements fixed or bringing it to a prearranged MOT test appointment.
What Happens If You Drive Without A Valid MOT?
This is a big no-no. Driving without an MOT can have terrible consequences for yourself, in terms of legal punishments, but also for other road users.
You can be fined up to £1,000, receive penalty points on your licence, or even face a driving ban all because you didn’t get your car checked out! But worse still, your MOT failure isn’t safe to be on the road. This means that you really could end up in a serious accident that would be your fault.
What happens if your car fails its retest?
If your car fails its MOT retest, the process begins again and you have another 10 working days before you will be required to have a full MOT test. However, do bear in mind that if there is a lot of work needing to be done to get the car back to a fully acceptable MOT, most test centres will not look too kindly on you coming in once a week to extend your retest time. It will also look pretty poor on your MOT history and could negatively affect the value of your car.
Reasons For Failing An MOT Retest
Failing a retest can be a real gut punch. You think you’re set to be back on the road, only to be denied once more. So why does it happen? Well, it’s often down to shoddy workmanship… and that includes poor DIY repairs. If your initial fail lists some serious problems then fixing them yourself, or asking your mate to have a look at them, might not be the best course of action.
This means that many times, the same faults that your car failed for the first time round are still a reason to fail the second time. The most common faults include:
- Lights
- Suspension
- Brakes
- Tyres
- Windscreen
- Exhaust
- Steering
When your vehicle fails its MOT, whether that’s the initial test or the retest, it’s crucial that you understand why. Technicians don’t fail cars without a good reason to do so – after all, the MOT test is designed to assess whether a vehicle is dangerous!
You should pay attention to the information recorded on your MOT certificate, as painful as it may be to read. You’ll want to know just what needs fixing so that you can work out how much it’s going to cost you and how you can get the issues rectified efficiently.
Can an MOT retest be done at a different garage?
In order to get an MOT retest you must go back to the same garage that did the original test. You can take your car anywhere for the work to be carried out, but if you were to ask another garage to carry out an MOT test you would have to pay the full amount for an MOT test.
How do I book an MOT retest?
There is no specific booking process with regards to an MOT retest, you just need to ensure that you are in communication with your garage as to when you have completed the repairs to ensure that you get your retest sorted before the end of the 10 working day cut-off point. If you leave the car at the garage for the repairs, the process is a lot easier.
How long does an MOT retest take?
The length of an MOT retest will depend entirely on the amount of work that is needed to get the car back to a point where it will pass its MOT. Generally they will only check the parts of your vehicle that failed the initial MOT test, so it is a much shorter process than a full MOT.
So, to summarise, if your car has failed its initial MOT test and needs to be put through a retest, make sure you identify and understand the issues so that you can get them fixed quickly and without wasting money. You won’t be able to drive the vehicle (long-term, at least) without rectifying them.
If your car fails its retest, you can repeat the above steps to keep trying, but many drivers would instead cut their losses and simply scrap the vehicle. In fact, doing this turns those losses into financial gain for yourself!
Has your car recently failed its MOT and you’re now looking at the options of repairs and retests? If it’s looking like a long term problem, then maybe it’s time to move on – which is where we come in!
Here at Scrap Car Comparison we can make the process of scrapping your car near you as simple and stress-free as possible and we guarantee that the quote you get from us will be the best you’ll find anywhere. Why not get started using our handy online quote generator and discover just how much your scrap could be worth.
FAQs
Will a garage let you know that your vehicle has problems before registering the fail?
No. Unfortunately, you have to wait until the test is completed and the result is officially logged before you find out what is wrong with the car. This is standard procedure and allows a level playing field for all drivers.
If my car fails due to a ‘dangerous’ tyre, can I change it and drive the vehicle without retesting?
The government states that a vehicle can still be driven after an MOT fail as long as the original MOT date is still valid. However, it also states that the test must have identified no ‘dangerous’ defects. Therefore, this is a bit of a grey area, even when listening to the government! Our advice: get it retested, especially if you know it’ll pass now anyway!
Is it a ‘red flag’ if a car fails, then passes, its MOT in the same day?
This depends on how much you trust other people. A glass-half-empty kind of person might think that something dodgy has gone on, and that maybe the car is dangerous but has been put back together with gaffer tape to squeak through the test.
On the other hand, an optimist could believe that the owner was caught out by an unexpected issue with their vehicle and rushed to get it fixed and retested!
Why won’t my garage do an MOT retest immediately after repairs?
If the garage can’t fit your car in again, if they’re fully booked for example, they are under no obligation to do so. Of course, they can and will retest your vehicle if they’re able to, but they are well within their rights to prioritise other customers with booked appointments.
Why do garages test and fail my car instead of fixing then testing?
Picture this: You’ve got a broken headlight bulb. You ask your technician to change it, then MOT the car. Instead, they MOT the car and fail it for a broken headlight, then they change the bulb, retest it and pass it.
It gives your car the impression of a chequered past, but why do some garages do this? Well, it can simply be to give them a complete job list to work through, assuming that they’ll find other problems to fix alongside the broken bulb. Don’t worry – It’s unlikely there’s anything shady going on!
MOT Failure Hub
MOT Failure HubIf you have, or expect to, fail you next MOT test there are a number of options, and important things to know. Luckily, we have expert guides on all MOT failure topics.
Can you drive car after a failed MOT
There is a 10 day grace period where it can be driven, with conditions that the car is safe.
Retesting and appealing an MOT test
If you are not happy with you test results and believe there to be mistake, find out your next steps here.
Driving a faulty car before your MOT test
If you know your car would fail an MOT test, you have a legal a duty to have that car repaired. Find out more.
Failing your MOT on emissions
Failing your MOT on emissions is not usually something we would expect. Find out everything you need to know here.
Or, visit our MOT failure hub for guides on everything related to MOT, and how to navigate your options after a fail.
Sell your MOT failed car
If you want to get rid of a car which has failed it’s MOT test, or is damaged beyond repair, you can get an instant and free quote online. Simply add your reg number and postcode and we can find you a salvage buyer in your area.
