MoT retest reduction

Around eight million vehicles fail the annual roadworthiness check-up. Previously, this often meant owners were forced to pay the full fee again in order to get their vehicles past a second examination.

But now, the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) has changed the rules so that garages will only be able to charge up to 50 per cent of the fee for cars re-tested within 10 working days, as long as the vehicle is brought back to the same centre.

Before the new legislation, garages which carry out MoT checks could demand the full amount again - and this can be as much as £44.15. Addi­tionally, the list of items that qualify for a free re-test has been extended to include headlamp aim, ABS warning lights and emissions.

Alex Fiddes of VOSA told us: "We have applied engineering common sense to these changes, and we are confident that they will save motorists money. We believe it's a practical sys­tem that will benefit everyone."

However, a spokesman for the RAC Foundation disagreed, saying: "There's still a good deal of uncertainty surrounding the situation. It does rather paint motorists into a corner, in that if they want to take advantage of the free retest, they're obliged to take their car back to the same specific garage."