DVSA plans to increase MOT slot fee

This topic has 4 replies, 1 voice, and was last updated 3 years, 1 month ago by mark mitchell.

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August 24, 2021 at 7:58 am #216211 Reply

Mike Ruff, GW editor
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The DVSA has opened a consultation on its plans to increase its fees, including the MOT slot fee. The MOT slot fee is currently £2.05 but will increas
[See the full post at: DVSA plans to increase MOT slot fee]

August 24, 2021 at 10:30 am #216213 Reply

Alastair Mayne
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On its own a 3p increase on a MOT slot price of £2.05 is pretty insignificant. However the costs involved in running a teating station are constantly increasing (the cost of connected equipment for example) and I think that the DVSA should be helping us to safeguard our income. If we were able to charge the recommended retail price of £58.45 MOT testing would be a very good income for our business, but due to the fact that there are numerous testing stations within a 1 mile radius of our garage, we cannot charge anywhere near that price. If the cost of an MOT test was mandated, it would be a significant help to our business. To the public, an MOT is a standard item which they believe will be exactly the same wherever they get one, so the main deciding factor for them is the price. I don’t see chemists discounting prescription charges (which is again, the same item from wherever you get them), it should be the same for MOT tests.

August 24, 2021 at 12:14 pm #216216 Reply

John Ball
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For many garages it has been difficult to make the MOT pay a reasonable return, because the fee has not increased for 11 years, yet costs have skyrocketed. This is a prime reason for the shortage of GOOD testers (which impacts test quality) – the salaries that can be afforded are just not competitive enough. Using CPI data the fee should be around £63.
Now the DVSA not only wants to put their fees to garages up but also the HGV test fee which their VE’s carry out!
While the cost increases are modest what’s insulting is the very idea of consideration by government to allow increases for their ‘agency’ but not for the garages who carry out the test on cars and vans.
The MOT is a very profitable money spinner for DVSA, collecting around £60+ million a year from MOT garages so this increase will net them around a £1million in cash to spend. It become even more profitable for them when they abandoned their in-house computer system and made garages invest in equipment as the internal system went online.
Now, because of the MOT extension government extension , the market is damaged for the next few years with much fewer MOT’s during April to July but overload during Sept to Nov, putting severe strain on managing cash flow for many small/medium independent garages, who make up most of the sector. The trade needs to remember that next year there is no furlough or rates assistance so costs will be higher during the lean months. Once again, it’s the little guys without a voice that get ignored.
Every time the trade has raised the fee issue in the past with DVSA or Department for Transport , they have responded negatively – yet the cost of an Mot is only around 2% of the annual cost of running a car. The consultation response should be no to the increases until we get a fair dialogue with DFT.
A fixed fee, minimum fee, inflationary increase etc – the options should be discussed.
Come on trade associations – fight our corner on this!

August 24, 2021 at 5:53 pm #216219 Reply

brad doulton
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TBH, no matter how much we moan about the cost of an mot, or that others seem to discount the cost to get cars through the door, until the whole industry is regulated nothing will change.
We need to have a bare minimum standard of qualification, insurance, mot price fix and many more things before this industry will stop dying on it’s feet.
We were all warned about a shortage in mechanics/technicians 20 years ago, and it’s come home to roost. I can’t hire a decent technician for love nor money. There are plenty of what i call grease monkey’s out there, but no good techs that are looking to move in the current climate. There are so many old school garages closing around here due to retirement or development, and the techs are just leaving the trade as they’ve had enough.
Show me another trade where you need to spend so much on tools and continuous training, but is so under valued with low wages. Just wait until the ev and hybrid markets take off and we see even more in the private sector, with very few of us that are properly trained.

August 26, 2021 at 1:29 pm #216254 Reply

mark mitchell
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halfords are the worst you can get a mot for a £1.00 if you go in there shop buy something at a £1.00 give them your email they send you a voucher for a free mot no kidding try it this just makes our arguement point lees for fixed prices useless
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