We compare business gas and electricity from 20 plus suppliers for MOT test centres. Typical bills run £4.5k to £16k a year and businesses that switch with us save 40 per cent on average, typically 30 to 50 per cent. The figures on this page are estimates from published UK benchmarks, not quotes.
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What a typical MOT test centre uses and pays across the UK, from published benchmarks.
Figures are estimates from published UK benchmarks priced at 25p/kWh electricity, 7p/kWh gas and about £365 a year in standing charges. They are not quotes. See how we estimate.
Class 4 and Class 7 MOT stations, test and repair centres and DVSA authorised examiners running one or more test bays. There are around 23,000 MOT test stations in Great Britain, almost all of them owner operated small businesses holding their own supply contracts.
A test bay that has to stay properly lit from first test to last, whether a car is on the ramp or not
The compressor cycling all day for the ramp, the tyre gauge and the air tools
A roller shutter door opening for every vehicle in and out, all winter
Diagnostic kit, the emissions analyser and the office PC left on standby overnight
Typical equipment loads across motor trade and vehicle repair, with annual kWh and cost bands from published benchmarks.
| Equipment | kWh a year | Cost a year (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| Air Compressor (screw or piston) | 7,200–26,400 kWh | £1,800–£6,600 |
| Workshop & Forecourt Lighting | 8,000–25,000 kWh | £2,000–£6,300 |
| Workshop Space Heating (gas warm air / radiant) | 25,000–200,000 kWh | £1,750–£14,000 |
| Spray Booth & Bake Cycles | 27,000–96,000 kWh | £1,900–£13,200 |
| Vehicle Lifts, Ramps & MOT Bay Equipment | 2,500–9,000 kWh | £625–£2,250 |
| Jet Wash, Vacuums & Hot Water | 4,000–18,000 kWh | £1,000–£4,500 |
Put the test bay lighting on its own switched circuit so you are not lighting the whole workshop for one car.
Service the compressor and walk the ring main with a soapy spray once a quarter. Leaks are the quietest cost in an MOT bay and can waste a fifth or more of everything the compressor makes.
Set a heating time clock to your actual test hours rather than leaving the warm air unit on a frost stat all week.
Switch the emissions analyser and diagnostic kit off at the end of the day. Standby on a bay full of electronics is a real number over a year.
Check your contract end date now. MOT stations are one of the most common trades to be quietly rolled onto a deemed rate.
Illustrative example
Four ramps, a compressor and a gas-heated workshop
Compressors, lifts and space heating for an open-fronted workshop drive a winter-heavy bill.
Illustrative example, not a real customer. Figures are estimates based on published UK benchmarks. See how we estimate. See all worked examples.
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