Motorcycle MOT prices could rise as Independant Garage Association calls for £95 fee

Motorcycle MOT prices could be heading upwards after the Independent Garage Association (IGA) called for the Government to significantly increase the maximum MOT fee.

The IGA says the current MOT fee has become unsustainable for independent garages, with inflation only one part of a wider rise in operating costs. It wants the maximum fee for an MOT to increase to at least £95, although it has yet to confirm what this would mean specifically for motorcycle MOTs.

Importantly for bikers, the IGA has confirmed to Visordown that its case for an increase does include motorcycle MOTs.

The current maximum fee for a motorcycle MOT is £29.65, meaning any substantial increase could have a noticeable impact on the cost of keeping a bike legally on the road. However, the IGA has not yet confirmed whether it is proposing that motorcycle MOTs should rise to £95, or what figure it will put forward when it enters discussions with the Government.

Visordown has asked the IGA for clarification on what it believes the new motorcycle MOT fee should be, but no figure had been provided at the time of publication.

The IGA says the maximum MOT fee has remained unchanged since 2010, despite garages facing significantly higher costs for labour, rent, equipment, fuel, energy, compliance, administration and staff training.

“Inflation alone makes the current MOT fee unsustainable,” said Stuart James, Chief Executive of the Independent Garage Association. “We are being advised by garage owners that without a significant increase to the MOT fee, they cannot continue to sustain this ever-increasing cost burden.”

The organisation says a recent survey of its members showed strong support for an increase, while garages have also reported that they are already reducing their MOT capacity because of the financial pressures involved in carrying out tests.

That could become an issue for motorcyclists as well as car drivers. If garages decide that motorcycle MOTs are no longer commercially viable at the current price, riders could find themselves with fewer testing centres and longer waits for appointments.

The IGA argues that allowing the fee to continue falling behind the cost of delivering an MOT could ultimately reduce consumer choice, with garages forced to cut the number of testing bays or stop offering tests altogether.

For bikers, however, there is a significant question over how any increase would be structured. Motorcycle MOTs are considerably cheaper than car MOTs under the current fee structure, reflecting the shorter and simpler nature of the test.

The Government will therefore have to decide not only whether the maximum MOT fee should increase, but whether motorcycle testing should be treated separately when setting any new limits.

For now, there is no confirmed new price for a motorcycle MOT. But with the IGA preparing to make its case to Government, riders could soon find themselves paying more for one of the less glamorous but unavoidable costs of keeping a motorcycle road legal.

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