Aberdeen named most expensive place in the UK for an MOT

New data from the UK’s largest independent online car maintenance marketplace has revealed that Aberdeen followed by Hereford were the only two locations outside of London to feature in its Top 10 Most Expensive Places in Britain on Average for an MOT Test.

FixMyCar has analysed the average cost of an MOT in every postal code region in the country for so-called ‘Super September’ when almost seven million current MOTs are set to expire. Drivers were given a six-month MOT exemption last year between March 30 and July 31 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in a huge surge in MOTs throughout August, September and October.

And it has found that motorists in Aberdeen, at £49.99, followed by Hereford, at £48.34, are paying almost 20 per cent more than their counterparts elsewhere in the UK for their annual MOT test. The remaining spots in our Top 10 were all London boroughs. The average cost of an MOT in 2021 is £41.50.

Top 10 most expensive places in UK for an MOT

• Aberdeen

• Hereford

• Lewisham

• Kensington & Chelsea

• Southwark

• Hammersmith

• Dartford

• Epsom and Ewell

• Bromley

• Lambeth

Top 10 cheapest places in UK for MOT

• West Lindsey

• Charnwood

• Carlisle

• Leicester

• Middlesbrough

• West Norfolk

• Derbyshire Dales

• Hartlepool

• Sheffield

• Redcar

Alistair Preston, Co-Founder of FixMyCar, explained: “There are huge differences in the prices people pay for their MOTs throughout the UK which is why it pays drivers to compare prices before going ahead and booking their appointment.

“Furthermore, with millions of drivers having been given an MOT exemption last year due to COVID-19, there is likely to be extra pressure on garages in the coming weeks, so we would advise people not to delay and search for the most competitively priced garage nearest to them.”

Alistair Preston added: “It is also worth remembering that drivers can actually book their MOT a month (minus a day) before it actually expires and the renewal date won’t change the following year, meaning there’s no downside to people actually getting their MOT done ahead of time.”