Advice
HGV and Commercial Vehicle Advice
Everything below is written for people who present vehicles for test, not for people who read about it. We run a DVSA authorised testing facility and a commercial vehicle workshop on the same site at Aston Fields Industrial Estate in Bromsgrove, and we operate our own lorries, so the questions answered here are the ones we get asked across the counter and on the phone.
Latest posts
Where a price appears it is the price we charge. Where a DVSA rule is involved and the exact figure could change, we describe the principle and tell you to check the current guidance or ring us — a confidently wrong compliance number is worse than an honest one. If what you need is not here, call 01527 870400 and ask.
What does an HGV MOT actually cost?
The fee is set by class, not by garage. Here is what decides the class for a vehicle, a trailer and a PSV, what sits around the test itself, and why the cheapest slot is often the most expensive day.
Read the postThe HGV annual test: what fails most, and how to stop it
Most annual test failures are not surprises. They are the same handful of items, and nearly all of them can be found on your own yard before the vehicle ever reaches the lane.
Read the postWhat is an ATF, and why test at one?
An ATF is a private site with its own test lane, where a DVSA examiner attends to carry out the test. Here is what that changes about your day — and where it honestly does not.
Read the postTrailer MOTs: test classes, axles and price
A trailer is not part of the unit’s test. It has its own class, its own fee, its own identification and its own result — and it does not have to arrive behind its usual tractor.
Read the postPreparing for your HGV MOT: the week before
Most of what loses a test slot has nothing to do with the condition of the vehicle. It is presentation, weight and paperwork — and all three are settled before you set off.
Read the postFailed your HGV MOT? What happens next
A fail is a written list of work, a limited opportunity to come back at a reduced fee, and a decision about where the vehicle gets fixed. The third one costs the most.
Read the postPSV MOT testing for coach and bus operators
A PSV test is priced on seats rather than axles, and it examines a whole side of the vehicle a goods vehicle does not have — the part your passengers sit in.
Read the postO-licence maintenance records: what DVSA expects
A well-maintained fleet with no paperwork looks, at a public inquiry, exactly like a badly maintained one. The records are not the admin around compliance — they are the evidence of it.
Read the postIf you would rather have a number than an article, ring us. The fee follows the class of vehicle — the axle count on a lorry or a trailer, the seating capacity on a coach — so tell us what is coming and you will have the exact figure straight away. Testing and repairs happen in the same building, so a defect found on the lane is quoted and put right without the vehicle leaving the site.
To book a test, use the online booking form or call 01527 870400. Tell us the axle count, or the seating capacity for a PSV, and we will price it before you commit to anything.