In short
- Leave the car at the test centre for the repair, and a retest within 10 working days costs nothing[1].
- Take it away and bring it back within 10 working days, and you may pay up to half the test fee[2].
- A retest at the same centre by the end of the next working day is free for simple items such as lamps[1].
- Anything else is a full retest, and you pay the full fee again[1].
- On a used car’s record, a fail followed by a pass a few days later can mean the car was repaired and retested. The record can’t show what was repaired.
On this page
- How do MOT retests work?
- When is an MOT retest free, and when do you pay?
- Which items get a free retest by the next working day?
- Should you leave the car at the test centre?
- Can you drive the car after it fails?
- Reading fails and retests on a used car’s record
- What if you think the fail is wrong?
- Common mix-ups about MOT retests
- Common questions
- Sources
A retest is a second test after a fail. If the car goes back within the time allowed, you need only a partial retest. That checks the failed items and anything the repair may have affected, not the whole car[3].
What you pay depends on where the car stays during the repair, how long you take, and what failed. The next section sets it out.
| If this happens | What is retested |
|---|---|
| The car stays at the test centre for the repair, and is retested within 10 working days | The failed items, and anything the repair may have affected (a partial retest) What you pay: Nothing |
| You take the car away, then bring it back to the same centre within 10 working days | A partial retest What you pay: A partial retest fee may be charged: up to half the full test fee |
| You bring it back to the same centre by the end of the next working day, for items on the free list | Those items What you pay: Nothing |
| Anything else, such as coming back after 10 working days, or going to a different test centre | A full retest What you pay: The full test fee again |
England, Scotland and Wales, as of 10 October 2026. Working days, not calendar days. The next-day rule also needs the test centre not to have changed ownership. Sources: GOV.UK[1] and DVSA’s fees poster[2].
Only one partial retest is allowed for each full test[2]. Any other retest is a full one, with the full fee.
DVSA, the government agency that runs the MOT, gives the partial fee as half the test fee, not as a pound amount. Ask the test centre what it will charge. Our guide to how much an MOT costs has the top fees.
Return the car to the same test centre before the end of the next working day. You pay nothing for a partial retest on items from a set list[1]. For cars, the list includes these.
On the free list
- Lamps (but not headlamp aim)
- Windscreen glass, wipers and washers
- Mirrors
- Registration plates
- Seat belts (but not where they are anchored)
- Wheels and tyres
- Bonnet, boot lid, tailgate and doors
- Horn
- Seats and steering wheel
- Battery and electrical wiring
- Fuel filler cap
- Tyre pressure monitoring system
- Towbar (but not the bodywork around it)
Not on the free list
- Brakes (only the brake pedal’s anti-slip is on the list)
- Suspension
- Steering linkage
- Exhaust emissions
- Headlamp aim
- The structure, including rust (the MOT says corrosion)
So a lamp, a wiper blade or a tyre can be fixed in a day and retested free. A brake, suspension or rust fault cannot. For those, the 10 working days route is the one to use. GOV.UK has the full list.
Leaving the car where it was tested keeps the retest simple, and the retest within 10 working days is free[1]. You can also have the repair done anywhere else.
If you take the car away, the retest at the original centre must still be within 10 working days. You may pay a partial fee[2].
At a partial retest, the tester rechecks the failed items and anything the repair may have affected. If the repair may have touched the brakes, they test those again. They also look at any minor fault or advisory from the first test[3]. An advisory is something that may need work soon but did not fail the car.
If a major or dangerous fault turns up, the car fails again and gets a new fail notice[3]. Those two grades are the ones that fail a car. Our guide to minor, major and dangerous MOT faults explains each.
A failed test is recorded in the MOT database and shows in the car’s MOT history[4]. So you can see a fail, and a pass a few days later.
That pattern can mean the faults were repaired and the car was retested. The record can’t show what was repaired, who did it, or how well. The seller may know.
When you see a fail followed by a pass
0 of 6 done
Our guide to how to check MOT history shows where to find these entries. For advisories on the record, see MOT advisories explained.
Talk to the test centre
Discuss the result with them before anyone starts repairs[5].
Send DVSA the complaint form
Send it to DVSA within 14 working days of the test. DVSA says it will contact you within five days.
Hold off on repairs
GOV.UK says not to have repairs made until the appeal has finished.
Expect to pay again for a recheck
If DVSA rechecks the car, you arrange a date and pay the full test fee again. The fee, or part of it, is refunded if the appeal succeeds.
Myth
A retest is always free within 10 days.
What's true
It is free if the car stays at the test centre. If you take it away, the centre may charge up to half the fee. And it is 10 working days, not 10 calendar days.
Myth
Anything fixed by tomorrow gets a free retest.
What's true
Only items on the free list do. The car must be back at the same centre by the end of the next working day.
Myth
You can drive a failed car for 10 days.
What's true
Only if its current MOT is still valid and no dangerous fault was recorded.
Myth
You have 14 days to appeal a fail.
What's true
GOV.UK says 14 working days from the test.
Common questions
Is an MOT retest free?
It can be. A retest is free if the car stays at the test centre and is retested within 10 working days. Certain simple items get a free retest too. The car must be back at the same centre by the end of the next working day. If you take it away and come back within 10 working days, you may pay up to half the test fee.
How long do I have to fix MOT failures?
To get a partial retest, bring the car back to the same test centre within 10 working days of the failure. After that, you need a full retest and the full fee again. These are working days, not calendar days.
Can I take my car to another garage for the repair?
Yes, but the retest should be at the original test centre within 10 working days, and you may pay a partial fee. A retest at a different test centre means a full test and the full fee.
What happens if my car fails the retest?
If a major or dangerous fault turns up, the car fails again and gets a new fail notice. Only one partial retest is allowed for each full test, so any further retest is a full one at the full fee.
Can I drive my car after it fails the MOT?
Only if its current MOT is still valid and no dangerous fault was recorded. If the MOT has run out and nothing dangerous was recorded, you can take the car to be repaired or to a pre-arranged test. A car that failed with a dangerous fault must not be driven until it is repaired.
Sources
- Getting an MOT: retest after a repair. GOV.UK (DVSA).
- MOT test fees and appeals poster for MOT centres (VT9A). DVSA, GOV.UK, 2026.
- MOT inspection manual: cars and passenger vehicles, introduction (section 19, retest following failure). DVSA, GOV.UK, 2026.
- Getting an MOT: MOT test result. GOV.UK (DVSA).
- Getting an MOT: test result appeals and problems. GOV.UK (DVSA).
- Vehicle test fees. NI Direct.
