Your Car Failed Its MOT: Here Is What to Do Next

Written by the MOT Check Now editorial team and checked against GOV.UK and DVSA guidance. Last updated 3 November 2026. Read our editorial policy and how we get our data.

If your car has failed its MOT, the first question is whether you can drive it home, and the answer depends on two things: whether your previous MOT is still valid and whether the tester listed a dangerous defect. After that come the practical decisions: repair at the same garage or elsewhere, whether you qualify for a free or reduced retest, and whether the repair bill makes sense for the car. This guide covers each step, with the rules on retests, appeals and costs, worked examples and the mistakes that cost drivers money.

Key facts at a glance

Step 1: Read the failure sheet

The garage must give you a record of what failed. Each defect has a category, and the category decides what you can do. Since 20 May 2018 the categories are:

The line between major and dangerous is the most important one on the sheet. A major defect means the car has failed. A dangerous defect means it must not be driven at all. For the meaning of specific defects, see MOT failure reasons and, for the milder items, MOT advisories explained. The way testers choose between categories is explained in MOT defect categories.

When you read the sheet, go through it line by line and sort the items into three piles: the items that caused the fail, the items that did not (minor defects and advisories), and anything you do not understand. Ask the garage to explain every line in the third pile before you agree to any work. A good garage will show you the item on the car, and you are entitled to look at it yourself. Photograph it while you are there, because photographs help with quotes and, if you disagree, with an appeal.

Note which defects are listed as dangerous, because that single word changes your next step. Also note the minor defects and advisories. They are not reasons the car failed, but a garage that is already repairing the car is often the cheapest and most convenient place to deal with them at the same time.

Step 2: Can you drive it?

You can drive the car away after a fail only if both of these are true:

1. Your current MOT is still valid (the test was done early, inside the window, and the old certificate has not yet expired).
2. No dangerous defect was listed.

If your old MOT had already expired, you can legally drive the car only to or from a place where repairs will be carried out, or to a pre-arranged MOT test. If a dangerous defect was listed, do not drive it at all. Driving a vehicle with a dangerous defect can lead to a fine of up to £2,500, a driving ban and 3 penalty points, and it is illegal whether or not you hold a valid MOT. For the wider legal position, read driving without an MOT.

Four illustrative situations

The rule is easier to apply when you see it against real-life timing. These four situations are invented for illustration.

Situation D catches people out. A last-minute test leaves no margin. If the repair cannot be done that day, you are back in the “expired MOT” position from the next day, and driving to anywhere other than the repair or the retest is an offence. The safest habit is to test inside the early window, which lets you fail, repair and retest while the old certificate is still valid. The window is explained in how early you can get an MOT.

If you are not sure whether the old MOT is still valid, check it before you set off. Enter the registration in our free MOT check to see the status and expiry date from the official record.

Step 3: Choose where the repair happens

You are not obliged to have repairs done at the garage that failed the car. Compare the options:

• Repair at the test centre. Convenient, and it is the route to the free partial retest (see below). You pay the garage’s labour and parts rates, which may be higher or lower than elsewhere.
• Take it elsewhere. Get the failure sheet and ask other garages for written quotes. You may pay less, but the retest fee rules differ.
• Do it yourself. Reasonable for items like bulbs, wipers or a number plate. Do not attempt brakes, steering or structural repairs unless you are competent and equipped.

Whoever you choose, ask for an itemised quote that lists each failed item, parts, labour and VAT. Check the quote against the failure sheet so nothing extra slips in, and ask which parts are new and which are used. The MOT fee cap covers the test only; repair charges are not capped.

Questions to ask before agreeing to any work

1. Is this repair on the failure sheet, or is it extra work the garage is recommending?
2. Can you show me the fault on the car?
3. Is the price for parts and labour fixed, or an estimate that could rise? Will you ring me before spending more?
4. Are the parts new, used or reconditioned, and do they carry a warranty?
5. How long will the work take, and does that fit inside the retest window?
6. If I leave the car with you, will the retest be a free partial retest, and will you confirm that in writing?
7. Will you give me back the old parts and an itemised invoice?

Get at least one other quote when the failure list is long, because the cost of repairs is where most of the money goes. If you take the car elsewhere, remember the clock: the reduced partial-retest fee depends on returning it to the test centre within 10 working days, and the free next-day retest depends on returning by the end of the next working day.

How to move a car that cannot be driven

If a dangerous defect was listed, or you are unsure the car is safe, use recovery. A recovery truck or a trailer is the safest route, and it is the only lawful route if the car has a dangerous defect and is going anywhere other than staying where it stands. Ask the garage whether it offers collection, or whether it can repair the car on its premises. A short tow may cost far less than a ban and penalty points.

Do not assume a short journey makes it safe. The offence of driving with a dangerous defect does not depend on the distance, and a tester who has recorded a defect as dangerous has judged that it presents a direct and immediate risk.

Step 4: Understand the retest rules

How much the retest costs depends on where the car goes and how fast it comes back. The rules are:

The practical lesson is that a fast, simple fix does not need to cost another full test. If a bulb or wiper blade caused the fail, replacing it the same day and returning by the end of the next working day can bring the retest down to nothing. If the work is bigger, the 10 working days is a firm deadline, so build in time for parts to arrive. The maximum full fee for a car is £54.85 (see MOT cost), and garages may charge less.

What counts as a working day

Working days are normally the days Monday to Friday, leaving out weekends and bank holidays. That matters because the deadlines are counted in working days, not calendar days.

What a retest covers

A partial retest looks at the items that failed, not the whole car. A full test covers everything again. This is the reason the free and reduced options are tied to repair and return times: the garage is only re-checking the repair. Because the garage applies these rules on the day, ask it to confirm in writing whether your car qualifies and what it will charge. If you take the car to a different test centre for the retest, you are likely to be treated as having a new test and be charged the full fee, so return to the original centre if you want the benefit of the retest rules.

The free next-day retest list

The free retest by the end of the next working day applies to a limited list of items, including lights, mirrors, doors, seat belts and wipers. It is meant for quick repairs that do not need much time. If your failure includes both a quick item and a slow one, the slow one decides the schedule, so the free next-day route will not help. In that case compare the free partial retest for leaving the car at the centre with the reduced fee for taking it elsewhere, and weigh that against the repair quotes.

Step 5: If you disagree with the result

If you think the car was failed wrongly, you can appeal to DVSA. For a failed vehicle the complaint form must be sent within 14 working days. Practical points:

• Ask the garage manager first. Many disagreements end with a second look at the vehicle.
• Do not repair the item in dispute before the appeal is decided if you want it to be inspected. Once the fault is gone, there is nothing to assess.
• Photograph the item and keep the failure sheet and any quotes from other garages.
• Follow the current process and forms on GOV.UK. Rules and forms change, so check the official page.

An appeal is a formal process with a deadline, so decide quickly. If you only want a second opinion on cost, getting another garage to quote is simpler.

A sensible order for disputing a result

1. Talk to the person who did the test, calmly, and ask them to show you the defect on the car.
2. If you still disagree, ask to speak to the garage manager or the person responsible for MOT testing at the site.
3. Write down what you dispute, with the defect wording from the failure sheet, the date and the registration.
4. Decide quickly whether to use the DVSA process, bearing in mind the 14 working day deadline for a failed vehicle.
5. Leave the disputed item untouched until the position is settled, even if that means the car stays off the road.

The difference between a disagreement about a judgement and a disagreement about a fact is worth bearing in mind. If a tester has measured something wrongly or recorded the wrong vehicle, the facts can be shown. If you simply feel the defect is not serious, the inspection standard decides, and a second garage’s opinion may not change the official result. A second opinion is still useful for deciding whether to spend money.

Step 6: Repair or scrap? How to decide

Not every failed car is worth fixing. Look at the decision as a comparison between the total cost to get the car through the test and safe, and the value of the car to you. No single number settles it, but these factors help:

1. The repair quote against the car’s value. Check what similar cars sell for locally. If the quote takes up a large part of the value, think hard.
2. How many items failed. One isolated fault is different from a list of failures across brakes, suspension, steering and corrosion, which suggests general neglect.
3. The type of fault. Structural corrosion is often the point at which repair stops being sensible, because the problem tends to spread and good repair is labour-intensive.
4. What the history says. Use the MOT history to see whether the same item was an advisory in earlier years. Repeated advisories that were ignored suggest more problems may follow.
5. Mileage and age. A car near the end of its working life may need several more big jobs soon.
6. Your needs. A reliable daily car is worth more to you than the market value suggests. A rarely used car you can do without is a different matter.
7. Running costs after repair. Tax, insurance and fuel continue whether or not the car is on the road. Check the tax status and, if the car will stand unused, consider a SORN through GOV.UK.

If you decide to sell or scrap, be open about the failure. Buyers can check the record in seconds, so a car sold as “just needs an MOT” will be checked against the history. The same advice applies from the buyer’s side: see our used car checklist before buying a car with a recent fail.

A simple way to compare the costs

Write the following on one sheet and fill it in with real quotes, not guesses:

Compare A plus B plus C with the gap between E and D. If the cost of keeping the car going is close to, or more than, the amount the repair adds to its value, selling it unrepaired or scrapping it may make more sense. If you need the car and its replacement would cost much more than the repairs, repairing it may still be the sensible choice. The aim is to decide with figures in front of you instead of reacting to the shock of the failure sheet.

While you decide

If the car will stand while you think, consider keeping it off the road. A SORN, a Statutory Off Road Notification, tells DVLA you are taking the vehicle off the road, for example because it is kept in a garage or on a driveway or private land. You cannot use the car on the road until it is taxed again. It starts immediately if the tax has expired or you are not applying in the month the tax is due to expire, and you get a refund for full months of remaining tax. The SORN check shows a vehicle’s current status.

If you sell the car, you do not make a SORN. You tell DVLA about the sale instead. For scrapping a car, follow the official guidance on GOV.UK, which covers how a scrapped vehicle is reported.

What if the car fails and the MOT has been out of date a long time?

A car that has had no MOT for months or years and then fails is in the same legal position as any other expired-MOT car: the only journeys allowed are to a pre-arranged test or to or from repairs. The difference is practical. A car that has stood unused may have several faults at once, so the failure sheet can be long. Ask for the failure sheet in detail, get written quotes, and decide with the repair-or-scrap sheet above. Our driving without an MOT guide explains the legal position and how to prove you are on the way to a booked test.

What if it is the first MOT?

Most cars need their first MOT by the third anniversary of registration. A failure at the first test is unusual but happens, often for something simple such as a bulb, a tyre damaged by a kerb or a wiper blade. The same rules and retest options apply. Our guide to the first MOT explains the timing.

Other vehicles: vans, motorcycles and larger vehicles

The retest rules in the DVSA scheme are not limited to cars. A van or motorcycle that fails goes through the same steps: read the sheet, check whether the old MOT is valid and whether a dangerous defect was listed, then repair and retest. Fees differ by vehicle type, as set out in MOT cost. For vehicle-specific records, see the van MOT check and the motorcycle MOT check. The MOT test classes guide explains which class your vehicle falls into.

How the fail appears in the MOT history

A failed test is recorded in the DVSA history with the date, the odometer reading and each defect, including its category. A retest normally shows as a separate, later entry. If a defect was fixed during the test, it appears as PRS. Anyone who runs the registration through the MOT check or the history tool can see the failure, including a future buyer.

The details are worth understanding from both sides. As an owner, a failure followed by a quick pass is a normal part of owning a car. As a buyer, repeated fails on the same item, or a fail for structural corrosion, deserve questions. Our guide to reading an MOT history explains the patterns, and the advisory tracker shows whether earlier advisories were fixed or later became failures.

What our free tools can and cannot do after a fail

The MOT reminder and the car watchlist are free ways to be told when the next result appears or when a date is coming up. If you need to move or cancel a booking while you sort out repairs, see the guide on cancelling or rebooking an MOT.

Checklist: what to do in the first hour after a fail

1. Get the failure sheet and read each defect’s category.
2. Check whether any item is dangerous. If so, do not drive.
3. Check your old MOT expiry on the MOT checker.
4. Decide whether to repair on site or take quotes elsewhere.
5. Note the retest deadlines: end of next working day for the free items, 10 working days for partial retests.
6. If you plan to challenge the result, start the DVSA complaint inside 14 working days.
7. Set a reminder so the retest does not slip. Our MOT reminder helps with the next annual date.

Common mistakes after a fail

• Driving home on a dangerous defect because the old MOT is still valid.
• Letting the 10 working day window pass and paying the full fee again.
• Skipping the written quote and agreeing to work by phone.
• Fixing a disputed item before the appeal can be assessed.
• Ignoring minor defects and advisories on the same sheet. They are not fails today but may be next year.
• Carrying on with an expired MOT after the repair, instead of booking the retest straight away.
• Taking the car to a different test centre and assuming the retest rules still apply.
• Leaving the car on the road untaxed or uninsured while deciding what to do. A vehicle needs insurance unless it has been declared off the road with a SORN, and an uninsured, non-SORN vehicle can lead to a £100 fixed penalty for the registered keeper.

Glossary

Advisory

A note on a passed test that a part is not yet defective but is likely to become so.

Dangerous defect

A defect that is a direct and immediate risk to road safety or the environment. The vehicle must not be driven.

Failure sheet

The record the garage gives you listing every defect found and its category.

Full test fee

The garage’s charge for a complete MOT test, up to the legal maximum for the vehicle class.

Major defect

A defect serious enough to fail the test.

Partial retest

A retest that checks only the items that failed.

PRS

Pass after rectification at the test: a defect fixed while the car was at the test centre.

SORN

Statutory Off Road Notification: telling DVLA a vehicle is off the road.

Working day

Normally Monday to Friday, leaving out weekends and bank holidays.

Sources and further reading

• GOV.UK: Getting an MOT, including the sections on failed vehicles and retests
• GOV.UK: MOT test fee
• GOV.UK: Make a SORN
• GOV.UK: Vehicle insurance and uninsured vehicles
• DVSA: MOT testing guide and the process for complaints about a test