My car failed its MOT: what now?

If your car has just failed its MOT, here is what the result means, when you can drive it away, what a retest costs and how to appeal.

Driving

Can I drive my car after a failed MOT?

You can take your vehicle away if your current MOT is still valid and no 'dangerous' problems were listed in the MOT. Otherwise, you'll need to get it repaired before you can drive.1

If you can take it away, it must still meet the minimum standards of roadworthiness at all times.1

If your MOT has run out, GOV.UK says you can take your vehicle to have the failed defects fixed, or to a pre-arranged MOT test appointment. In both cases it still needs to meet the minimum standards of roadworthiness at all times, or you can be fined.2

Apart from driving it to or from somewhere to be repaired, or to a pre-arranged MOT test, you cannot drive or park your vehicle on the road if the MOT has run out. You can be fined up to £1,000 for driving a vehicle without a valid MOT.3

Driving with a 'dangerous' problem

You can be fined up to £2,500, be banned from driving and get 3 penalty points for driving a vehicle that has failed its MOT because of a 'dangerous' problem.1

The result

What do dangerous, major, minor and advisory mean?

Your vehicle fails if the test result lists 'dangerous' or 'major' problems.1 You might also get a list of 'minor' or 'advisory' problems to monitor or fix in the future.1

DVSA's manual for MOT testers defines three kinds of defect in a car's test, and says when a tester may record an advisory:4

  • Dangerous: a fail. Defects that are a direct and immediate risk to road safety, or that have an impact on the environment.4
  • Major: a fail. Defects that may prejudice the safety of the vehicle, have an impact on the environment, put other road users at risk, or other more significant non-compliances.4
  • Minor: not a fail on its own. Defects that have no significant effect on the safety of the vehicle or impact on the environment, and other minor non-compliances. A vehicle with only minor defects passes.4
  • Advisory: not a fail. When an item is not deteriorated enough to justify failing it, the tester may be able to record an 'advisory' to tell you so.4

A fail is recorded in the MOT database. You can get a 'refusal of an MOT test certificate' from the test centre, and check your MOT history to see the result online.1

Roadworthy checks tax, MOT and MOT history from scanning or entering a number plate.

Check a car with Roadworthy

Free, for Android.

How much is an MOT retest?

In some cases your vehicle can have a partial retest for free or a reduced MOT fee.2

What you payWhen
No fee You leave it at the test centre for repair and it's retested within 10 working days.2
You take it back to the same test centre before the end of the next working day, for a partial retest on one or more items on GOV.UK's list.2
A partial retest fee You take it away for repairs and take it back within 10 working days.2 The fee can be up to half the statutory maximum test fee.5
The full MOT test fee In all other cases, you'll need a full retest.2 The most a test station can charge for a car's MOT is £54.85.6

Among the items on the list are the battery, bonnet, bootlid, horn, mirrors, registration plates, seats, steering wheel, and windscreen glass, wipers and washers.2

DVSA's guide for test stations says the fees are the maximum that may be charged, and that a station is permitted to charge less than the statutory fee for a test or a retest. It says only one partial retest is permissible for each full test.5

How do I appeal a failed MOT?

You can appeal to DVSA against the failure if you think it's wrong.7

Before you appeal

The appeal

A DVSA vehicle examiner will contact you within 5 working days to discuss your appeal.8

If DVSA decides to retest your vehicle

A vehicle examiner carries out a full MOT test, and will refund the fee if your vehicle passes.8

The test result you appealed against will stay on the vehicle's MOT history.8

DVSA cannot help you get a refund or compensation from the MOT centre.8

Where this applies

This guide covers England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland has different rules and processes for MOTs for vehicles registered there.3

Reading the fails in a seller's MOT history? See Before you buy a used car.

Sources

  1. GOV.UK, Getting an MOT: MOT test result
  2. GOV.UK, Getting an MOT: Retest after a repair
  3. GOV.UK, Getting an MOT
  4. GOV.UK (DVSA), MOT inspection manual: cars and passenger vehicles - Introduction
  5. GOV.UK (DVSA), MOT testing guide for test stations - L. Accounts and fees
  6. GOV.UK, Getting an MOT: MOT costs
  7. GOV.UK, Getting an MOT: Test result appeals and problems
  8. GOV.UK (DVSA), Appeal an MOT test result

First published 13 October 2026. Last updated 13 October 2026. General information, not legal advice.