Stafford MOT garages: every approved test centre

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Cars tested in the ST postcode area fail first time 29% of the time, against 28.2% nationally, which is in line with the rest of the country. A broken coil spring heads the local list, on 10.77% of failed tests, with a sidelight not working close behind. The figures come from 1,089,445 DVSA test records for the area.

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.

Worn bushes and ball joints build up slowly. A vague or clunky front end before the test is worth a garage check, since suspension is where tests are lost. The UK-wide failure figures show the same pattern, and our list of advisories that become failures puts a number on how often a noted item fails the following year.

The £54.85 figure is a ceiling, not a price list. Stafford 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 Stafford

Demand peaks in March and bottoms out in December, a swing of roughly 67%. The peaks follow the March and September plate changes three years earlier, when new cars reach their first test.

Retests

If the car fails and you leave it at the station for repair, the retest is free. If you take it away, a partial retest within ten working days at the same station is free for a list of minor items such as lamps, wipers, mirrors, seatbelts and tyres, and charged at a reduced fee for anything else. After ten days it is a full test again.

Driving to the test without an MOT

The law allows one journey without a certificate: to a booked MOT, or to repairs arising from one. Keep the booking confirmation with you, and remember that insurance is still required and a dangerous defect still makes the car illegal to drive.