Motorcyclists in England have been urged to conduct a quick check or risk losing out on money to a MOT test.
Motorcyclists in England have been urged to conduct a quick check or risk losing out on money to a MOT test.
£35,000 is being wasted on motorbike MOT retest costs due to one simple issue – and riders can check it at home. Motorcyclists in England have been urged to conduct a quick check or risk losing out on money to a MOT test.
Lamps and reflectors caused 41% of MOT failures for motorbikes in the 2023/24 testing period, despite being something that can often be checked and rectified before a test.
The study by Go.Compare estimates that this problem alone caused riders to waste over £35,000 in avoidable retest costs in just one year, due to around one in 10 missing the window for a free retest.
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According to the research, almost £47,000 was spent by motorbike riders on avoidable retest fees, based on around 15,000 failures that could have been prevented by simple checks.
It found that around 11,440 were caused by problems with the motorcycle’s lamps and reflectors. If these motorbike owners had performed checks on these parts before the test, more than £35,600 could have been saved on retests. These figures assume around one in 10 riders will miss the free partial retest window after a failed MOT, says Go.Compare.
Brake defects were the next most common problem, contributing to 18% of failures. Issues with the bike’s structure and attachments (11%), and suspension problems (10%) make up the third and fourth-highest number of MOT failures. These are all far harder to identify and fix before a test.
Tom Banks, motoring expert at Go.Compare, says: “Our research shows that thousands of pounds is being wasted every year on avoidable MOT failures, but preparing for the test properly can help you avoid incurring extra costs.
“There are some simple checks that you can perform at home before you book your bike in for its MOT, and they could save you time and money by preventing a failure. For example, make sure your lights are working properly and replace any bulbs you need to, then check the tyres’ tread depth to see if they meet the minimum requirements.
“If your motorbike does fail its MOT, don’t worry, you’ve still got a 10-day window to get it in for a free retest. If you can get it fixed before this, you shouldn’t need to pay for another test.
“Remember, your bike won’t be road-legal if it fails its MOT due to a dangerous fault, meaning your insurance will likely become invalid as well. If it fails, you’ll need to get the issues rectified before you can ride it again.”