Garages in the M postcode area carried out 489,000 car MOTs in 2024, and 71.8% passed first time — in line with the UK average. The test is the same everywhere; the price isn't: across North West England it typically runs £29–£45 against the £54.85 legal maximum.
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71.8%
Passed first time, 2024
489,000
MOTs in M postcode area
£29–£45
Typical Manchester price
The DVSA publishes every MOT carried out in Great Britain, tagged with the test centre's postcode area. For Manchester that is the M postcode area: 489,000 first-time car tests in 2024, of which 71.8% passed outright (in line with the UK average of 71.7%). 9% of tests found at least one dangerous defect, more than the UK's 8.3% — worth a pre-test check of tyres and brakes.
Share of 2024 tests with a fail in each area, against the UK.
Most tested: Ford (11.8%), Vauxhall (9.3%), Volkswagen (9.1%).
Share of 2024's tests by month. October was the peak (10% of the year); December the quietest (6.7%).
A quiet month is the easiest time to find a cheap slot. You can test up to a month early and keep your renewal date.
The MOT fee is capped, not fixed. The legal maximum for a Class 4 car is £54.85 anywhere in the UK, and garages can charge anything up to it. Across North West England, typical prices run £29–£45. The North West has lots of garage competition, keeping MOT prices among the lower in England.
Manchester (Greater Manchester, population around 550,000) follows the same national rules — so the difference between the cheapest and dearest test for the same car comes down to which garage you choose. For the full national picture, see what an MOT should cost in 2026.
As one of the UK's larger cities, Manchester has a dense network of MOT test centres — from national chains to independent garages and, in some areas, council-run test stations. That competition works in your favour: prices for the identical test vary widely, so a quick comparison routinely saves £20 or more.
The test is identical at every garage, so a cheaper Manchester MOT is a genuine saving, not a corner cut — more on that in our guide to whether cheap MOT deals are worth it.
The legal maximum for an MOT test is £54.85 — but many garages charge less. Compare prices in seconds.
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October was the busiest month at M postcode area test centres in 2024, with 10% of the year's tests; December saw just 6.7%. March and September are the UK's plate-change months — cars first registered then all come due together three years later, and the cycle repeats every year — so demand pushes Manchester garages busier and prices firmer around them. A quieter week is usually cheaper.
You can test up to a month early without losing any days on the certificate — useful breathing room to shop around rather than booking in a panic.
If your car fails at a Manchester garage, leave it there for repair and the retest is free; bring it back within 10 working days and many failure items qualify for a free or reduced partial retest. Always confirm the terms before you collect the car — the retest rules in full.
Test data: DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results (data.gov.uk), 2024, Class 4 vehicles, normal tests only, first-time result; grouped by the test centre's postcode area, which is the finest level the DVSA publishes. Prices are typical regional garage prices, not quotes; the only figure fixed in law is the £54.85 cap.
Looking nationally? Compare cheap MOT prices across the UK, set a free MOT reminder, or check the MOT history of any vehicle.