The MOT system divides vehicles into classes based on type and use. Most people know they own a Class 4 car and leave it there. That works fine until you’re buying a people carrier with eight seats, running a transit-size van as a sole trader, or trying to work out why the quote from one station is £40 more than you expected. The class system is the reason, and it’s worth knowing.
Why classes exist
Different vehicle types present different inspection challenges. A motorcycle doesn’t have a handbrake to test on a roller. A minibus has seating capacity and emergency exit requirements that a hatchback doesn’t. A lorry has a gross vehicle weight that changes what the tester is looking for on the brake roller and the suspension.
The class system groups vehicles by these characteristics and sets both the fee cap (the maximum a test station can lawfully charge) and the inspection scope accordingly. The fee cap is set by DVSA and reviewed periodically; stations can charge less but not more.
Class 1 and Class 2 — motorcycles
Class 1 covers motorcycles up to 200cc. The current maximum fee is £29.65. Class 2 covers motorcycles over 200cc, with a maximum fee of £29.65 — the same as Class 1. The distinction exists in the inspection scope, not the price point.
Both classes test the same broad categories as a car MOT — lights, brakes, steering, tyres, structure — but the equipment used and the checks specific to two-wheeled vehicles differ from the car bay. Motorcycle brake testing uses a plate decelerometer rather than a roller, and the steering check involves the forks and head bearings rather than a rack or steering box.
If you bring a motorcycle to a test station that isn’t authorised for Class 1 or 2 testing, they cannot test it — the station’s DVSA authorisation specifies which classes it’s approved for. Not all stations are multi-class.
Class 3 — three-wheeled vehicles
Class 3 covers three-wheeled vehicles not covered by Classes 1 or 2. The maximum fee is £37.80. In practice, relatively few vehicles fall here — a small number of three-wheelers fall under car-derived rules depending on their unladen weight and layout, and there have been disputes over the years about where exactly certain vehicles sit.
If you own something unusual — a Reliant Robin-type vehicle, a Morgan three-wheeler, or a modified trike — it’s worth confirming the class with the test station before booking, as the equipment and fee will differ from a standard car test.
Class 4 — the one that covers most cars
Class 4 is the class most private car owners deal with. It covers:
- Passenger vehicles with up to eight seats (not counting the driver)
- Goods vehicles with a design gross weight up to 3,000kg
- Motor caravans up to 3,000kg
- Taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs) that fall within the seat count
The maximum statutory fee is £54.85. That’s the ceiling — a station can charge less, and many do.
What Class 4 covers in practice: the family hatchback, the estate, the saloon, the SUV, the pickup truck in light-duty form, and the van up to 3,000kg design gross weight. The overwhelming majority of vehicles on UK roads test under Class 4.
The inspection covers all the standard categories: lighting, steering, suspension, brakes (via roller test), tyres, seatbelts, emissions, structure, fuel system, and exhaust. The full walkthrough of what happens in the bay covers the sequence in detail.
Class 5 — minibuses and larger passenger vehicles
Class 5 splits into two sub-categories that carry different fee caps.
Class 5 (standard) covers passenger vehicles with more than eight seats, not used for hire or reward. This is typically the private minibus — a vehicle owned by a sports club, a school, or a private individual carrying more than eight passengers. The maximum fee is £58.60.
Class 5L (large) covers passenger vehicles used as Public Service Vehicles (PSVs) — minibuses used for hire or reward, including scheduled coach services and community transport schemes operating under a PSV licence. The maximum fee is £124.50, reflecting the additional inspection requirements.
Class 5L requires a more involved inspection than Class 5 standard. The additional checks cover: emergency exits (number, type, and marking), interior firefighting equipment where required, seating security to a higher standard, and specific requirements around the standee area for vehicles certified for standing passengers. A station authorised for Class 5 standard is not automatically authorised for Class 5L — the authorisation is separate.
This distinction catches private minibus operators. If you run a vehicle used for hire or reward and you’ve been testing it as Class 5 standard, that’s a problem: the certificate may not be valid for the use you’re putting the vehicle to. If there’s any doubt, confirm with the station before booking.
Class 7 — light goods vehicles
Class 7 covers goods vehicles with a design gross weight over 3,000kg and up to 3,500kg. The maximum fee is £58.60.
The practical use case is the heavier end of the van market — a long-wheelbase Transit or a Sprinter at the top of its weight range often sits in Class 7 rather than Class 4. The vehicle’s V5C will state the design gross weight; if it’s between 3,000kg and 3,500kg, that’s Class 7.
Why does this matter operationally? Two reasons. First, the fee cap is higher than Class 4, so a station can lawfully charge up to £58.60. Second, the inspection for Class 7 includes additional checks appropriate to goods vehicles — the load security points, the body-to-chassis attachment where relevant, and the brake assessment is calibrated against the higher design weight.
If you run a fleet of vans and some of them straddle the 3,000kg line, you may be booking some as Class 4 and some as Class 7. The V5C gross weight is the deciding factor, not the vehicle model name.
Beyond Class 7 — where the MOT ends and the HGV test begins
Vehicles with a design gross weight above 3,500kg sit outside the MOT system entirely. They go through an annual HGV test administered by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency but conducted at DVSA-operated goods vehicle testing stations rather than the MOT network. The HGV test (sometimes called an annual test or plating and testing) has its own fee schedule, its own inspection criteria, and its own certificate — none of which are an MOT.
This matters for fleet operators buying used vans. A van rated to 3,500kg gross — the maximum for Class 7 — is the heaviest vehicle that can be MOT tested through the civilian network. Anything plated above that requires an HGV test and a Class C driving licence to operate. The distinction between 3,499kg and 3,501kg in a manufacturer’s payload brochure is not a rounding error; it determines which legal test regime the vehicle sits under.
For the purposes of everything on this site — test fees, test stations, cost estimator, station finder — the scope is Classes 1 through 7. The HGV test sits in a separate regulatory lane.
How to confirm your vehicle’s class
The fastest method is to check gov.uk/check-mot-history against your registration. Every logged MOT entry records the class the vehicle was tested under. If you’ve had previous tests, you can see what class was applied.
If the vehicle has never been tested, the V5C is the source of truth for gross weight (relevant for the 3,000kg and 3,500kg thresholds) and body type/seating count (relevant for Class 4 vs 5 split). DVSA also publishes guidance at gov.uk/vehicle-approval/overview for edge cases.
Fee caps are not the same as the price you pay
The statutory maximum is a ceiling, not a target. Around a third of test stations in the UK charge less than the maximum for Class 4. A handful charge considerably less — particularly independent garages in areas with competitive testing markets.
The MOT cost estimator shows the range of prices being charged across UK stations by area. The variation isn’t trivial; in some towns, the spread from cheapest to most expensive Class 4 test runs to £20 or more for what is legally the same test.
If you’re paying significantly over £54.85 for a Class 4 car MOT, a conversation is warranted. If the station says the test includes additional checks or services, those are the station’s choice to offer — they cannot make the basic statutory test conditional on taking them.
You can find authorised test stations near you — filterable by class — at /find-a-mot-centre/. The pass rate data in the station leaderboards is also worth a look before booking; stations with unusually high or unusually low pass rates both merit a second glance.