Cleevely Group is supporting calls for a mandatory minimum MOT price, after fourth-generation family member Lotte Cleevely highlighted that the £54.85 fee cap has remained unchanged since the year she was born.
Lotte, 16-year-old daughter of Cleevely Group’s Matt and Claire Cleevely, has sparked fresh debate around MOT pricing after a short social media video comparing the cost of everyday goods and garage services gained traction among independent workshop owners and technicians.
Currently gaining marketing experience within the family business alongside her college studies, Lotte drew attention to the fact that the statutory maximum fee for a Class 4 MOT has remained at £54.85 since 2010, despite significant increases in the cost of running a garage.
Her video compares the price of brake pads and discs, which has risen from £62.56 in 2010 to £157.15, and a pint of milk, which has increased from 44p to 83p. Against that backdrop, the MOT fee remains unchanged, despite the rising cost of equipment, premises and skilled labour.
“Garage Industry Trends show the average labour rate is £100 per hour including VAT. So why is the cost of an MOT almost half of that?” said Lotte. “This figure is too low for the significant amount of time, resources, and equipment costs to carry out the required MOT.”
The video has brought renewed attention to an issue being championed by the Independent Automotive Aftermarket Federation (IAAF), which is calling for the current £54.85 ceiling to become a mandatory minimum price floor.
Cleevely Group, which operates Cleevely Motors, Cleevely EV and Cleevely EV Mobile, is backing the campaign, warning that sustained discounting and the use of MOTs as a loss leader risk undermining independent garages’ ability to invest in the equipment and training needed to work on increasingly complex vehicles.
Matt Cleevely, Managing Director of Cleevely Group, said: “When your 16-year-old daughter points out that the MOT fee hasn’t moved a single penny in her entire lifetime, it really brings home how long this issue has been going on.
“Lotte is gaining experience in our business and looking at the aftermarket with a fresh perspective. She couldn’t understand why a professional business would commit an hour of workshop time, an expert tester and expensive calibrated equipment for a fee that falls so far below the standard hourly labour rate. It’s a fair question.
“We all know the MOT fee hasn’t kept pace with reality, but simply demanding a massive hike isn’t going to get traction with government. What makes far more commercial sense for independent garages is a statutory minimum fee floor that protects the viability of our testing bays without pricing motorists out of essential maintenance.
“Most importantly, it cuts out the self-defeating race to the bottom. Independent workshops need to stop devaluing their time, back their technicians’ skills, and charge fairly for an essential safety check.”
For further information about Cleevely Group, visit: https://cleevelygroup.co.uk/.
