HOW TO GET FREE MoTs... FOR LIFE

ACCORDING to Halfords, four in ten motorists say they are either not able to pay for their next MoT or are concerned about how much it will cost.

Danny Collins of vehicle history checking site, Reg Car Check, suggests looking for discounts online and phoning several garages to compare prices.

If you have an idea of what other garages charge you can go back to your usual one and see if they will match the best prices you’ve found.

Some car dealers will offer free MoTs for life as long as the car is serviced with them.

Or you can get your car inspected by a council-run test centre. These places don’t carry out repairs, so the mechanics have less incentive to fail your car in order to make extra money. Find one of these centres at Carveto ( carveto.co. uk/mot-check/council-centres/).

Try to do as much as you can yourself before taking the car in for an MoT, too. Even someone like me, who has zero knowledge of the workings of a car, can check lights, wipers and tyres before taking it in to the garage.

If anything needs replacing, do some research online for prices so that you can query the bill if you feel mechanics are trying to overcharge you for parts.

Halfords has teamed up with the charity Family Action to offer 1,000 free MoTs to families struggling to make ends meet but need their car to get to work. The charity will give these directly to families they work with.

When it comes to repairs, costs can be eye-watering, particularly as materials prices have gone up so much recently. Compare garage prices in your area at bookmygarage.com/car-servicing/

Don’t drive without a valid MoT or you will face a fine and your car insurance and car tax are invalidated. If you fail an MoT and don’t do the repairs, you could be banned from driving.