Spiralling Repair Costs Land Drivers with Record MOT Failure Bills

Hard-pressed drivers face skyrocketing MOT repair costs, even as overall failure rates fall, our new analysis has revealed. We found that the trend began in 2022 and means that nine million drivers a year now face paying up to 70% more for MOT-related repairs.

Despite a steady fall in MOT failure rates over the past decade, those cars that do fail it now cost drivers significantly more to fix than just three years ago – and the problem is accelerating, with inflation biting older car owners harder.

Average MOT Failure Repair Bill is as Much as 70% More Expensive Than 2022

Our figures confirm official Office for National Statistics figures for garage workshop cost inflation and mirror the latest findings from independent market intelligence specialists Mintel, but provide more detail. They show that even looking at all MOT bookings, not just those requiring repairs, the cost trajectory is stark.

At one national multi-site group, the average total invoice on an MOT booking has risen since 2022, from £134 to £227, when the inflationary hike in repair costs began. That’s an increase of 70% and the biggest jump came in 2025 with a hike of 24.3%. For another smaller regional garage network, typically handling older cars, the average MOT-related final invoice value, where additional works were completed, climbed from £122 in 2023 to £183 in 2025 – an increase of 50%.

Our data also shows that up to 49% of MOT bookings made on our platform resulted in advised or mandatory repairs, including for dangerous defects, in the oldest cars. This reflects rising costs, especially with a growing number of older cars. The average age of Britain’s 36 million cars now stands at just over nine years, exposing drivers to growing repair bills.

Repair Bill Inflation Now Triple General Consumer Price Inflation

Overall, MOT pass rates across all car age bands have been steadily rising since 2013/14 when 40% of cars failed the test. In 2025, the failure rate overall had fallen to 28.1%, according to figures from the government's Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).

But when it comes to rectifying an MOT failure, costs have been rising dramatically.

From 2016 until 2021 they broadly matched general consumer price inflation of between 1.7% and 3.6% annually. But since 2022 repair cost inflation has shot up to between 6.7% and 7.8% - roughly tripling the previous decade's inflation rate. That’s double the rate for food price inflation and more than twice headline consumer price inflation overall.

Underlying these figures is the effect of the Covid pandemic, which dramatically reduced new car production and resulted in an older mix of cars on the road. Those cars are more likely to fail a test, landing their owners with record high repair costs. Our analysis showed that the average bill for a car needing repairs as a result of a failed MOT has climbed to an average £425 for cars in the 6-8 year age band. But even for cars as young as 3-5 years the average repair cost is now £332, including the MOT test itself which is legally capped at £54.85.

Drivers Can Reduce the Impact of Repair Costs By Comparing Local Garages

Our co-founder, Karen Rotberg, said: "Repairs are not optional after an MOT failure so many of Britain's drivers are caught in an inflationary spiral which shows no sign of easing."

One step you can take to ease the burden is to choose MOT and repair providers on BookMyGarage.com who offer transparency on pricing and can demonstrate the highest levels of satisfaction from their customers with quality reviews.

Karen added: "With more drivers holding onto their cars for longer, garages are inevitably seeing more vehicles reach the stage where parts naturally wear out. 

"Most people don't know exactly what their car needs and that's where transparency is key. Our advice is to carefully compare local garages, understand their pricing and read real reviews before making a choice, which our platform provides.

"This puts you back in the driver's seat when costs are escalating dramatically by helping you make the best-informed choice of garage."

Methodology

We analysed thousands of final invoices for cars tested at partner garages for bookings made through our platform in calendar year 2025. The cost trend data is based on year-on-year invoice analysis from 2022 to 2025 across partner garage networks.