The cost of an MOT/Service?

Hi Pete, hubby takes our Astra to Kwikfit and we've always had good service and a reasonable bill at the end of it.

Also if you book online you make a further saving.

http://www.kwik-fit.com/mot-testing-and-servicing.asp

Good luck with your car Pete.

If you shop around with smaller independent garages you can get a MOT for around £25 to £30.

Hi Pete

I think that it depends on whether you think it is going to pass first time - some places charge a bit more (but no more than the price you've quoted) and then offer a free re-test if it fails. If you think that it is going to pass first time than it's not worth looking for that kind of deal.

Why not see who your friends and family take their cars too - recommendation is always the way to go.

http://www.motester.co.uk/CarOwnersGuidetoTheMOT/MOTPricesPage.aspx
The MOT Fee is fixed periodically by the Government's executive agency the Vehicle Operator and Services Agency (VOSA), in conjunction with the MOT industry. Working together, the MOT Test is carried out on a variety of vehicles of different ages, using a variety of workshop configurations - all strictly defined and monitored. Having established an average time for carrying out the MOT Test in all of the various scenarios, a Statutory Fee is negotiated and set, usually for a period of one year.
The reason that the fee is reviewed annually is to accommodate the many changes which are taking place in vehicle technology and, for example, the more more stringent emission checks which are being carried out on modern vehicles - some of these changes result in either more or less time being taken to carry out the Test, while others require the purchase of expensive equipment, and all of these factors, plus inflation, are taken into consideration.
However, although a Vehicle Testing Station (VTS) may charge the full Fee as defined, and no more, it is left to individual businesses to charge less than the full fee at their own discretion, although VOSA officials may well view this as a cause for concern and further investigation.
Current price of MOT for Cars (up to eight passenger seats)is £54.85
Partial Retest Fee: Half Test Fee
Maximum fee for duplicate certificate £10
A note about VAT on the Test Fee:
The MOT Fee itself is not subject to VAT if the issuing garage is an MOT Testing Station. However, if your service garage is not an MOT Testing Station and gets the MOT carried out on your behalf at an MOT Testing Station and recharges the fee to you, it must (if it is registered for VAT) account for VAT on the MOT Test Fee.

Pete, I take my car to a small independent local garage, where it gets a pre-test check, any necessary things fixed (eg bulbs replaced etc)and then the garage owner takes it to another local garage that he has an MOT testing arrangement with.

Last time I paid £40 for the actual MOT test, so I can vouch for creativesaver's advice that small independent garages are cheaper than the big names.

If you shop about you can often source a bargain I had my first MOT last month and paid £35 car was cleaned as well for that price so do shop about its worth it.

In my experience the cheaper they are the dodgier - one near me advertises £19.99 but you can bet they will always manufacture a fault if they cannot find one and it will end up costing you a wad of cash.

Kwikfit are usually not bad guys near me - Did me a great deal on an exhaust a few years ago and you can see them working on the thing which is a bit re-assuring.

Vettriano is right though.
Always best to pay in the expectance of a failure.

You could as I do get the MOT pass list and check everything yourself before you put it in for an MOT if you are techinically minded!