MOT stations in Reading

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Of every hundred cars presented for an MOT in the RG area, about 26 fail. Nationally the figure is 28, so Reading and its surroundings are doing better than most of Britain. The most common defect on failed tests here is a sidelight not working. Based on 1,496,497 tests recorded by DVSA.

Bars show how often each defect appears on failed tests in this area. The figure in italics is the difference from the national rate for that defect.

A blown bulb fails the test as surely as a worn brake, and a bulb is a few pounds. Check brake lights with the car reversed up to a wall. The UK-wide failure figures show the same pattern, and our advisory conversion table puts a number on how often a noted item fails the following year.

The £54.85 figure is a ceiling, not a price list. Reading garages compete on the test fee because they hope to do the repairs, so the test itself is often £30 to £45. You are under no obligation to have failures fixed where the car was tested.

When to book in Reading

March is the busiest month for MOTs in the RG area, with about 66% more tests than April. If your test falls in a busy month, book two to three weeks ahead; in a quiet one, most stations can fit you in within days.

Retests

A failed car left at the garage for repair gets a free retest. Take it away and bring it back within ten working days and the retest is free for the common small items (bulbs, wipers, tyres, mirrors, seatbelts) and half price at most for the rest. Miss the ten days and you pay for a full test.

Driving to the test without an MOT

You can drive to a pre-booked test with no MOT, and to a garage for repairs found at the test. That is the only situation where driving without one is legal, and the car must still be roadworthy and insured.