Your car needs both a yearly MOT test and regular servicing to make sure it's safe and legal to use on the roads.
They're both similar in the sense you need to take your car to a dealership or service centre to have them carried out. However, an MOT is a legal requirement set by the government, while servicing is a recommended schedule set by your car's manufacturer.
We'll explain the differences between MOT and servicing in this guide.
MOT vs servicing
Here are the main differences between an MOT and a service:
| MOT | Service | |
| Is it a legal requirement? | Yes | No |
| Does it impact my car's warranty? | No | Yes |
| Can a car pass or fail? | Yes | No |
| What's it for? | Checking your car is safe to drive on the road | Keeping your car running properly by replacing worn parts |
| Typical cost | The government recommends £54.85 for a typical passenger car, but some garages might charge less | Varies widely depending on the particular car and service centre. Expect around £200 for a small, affordable car, or well over £400 for a larger, more expensive car |
| How often | Once every year when the car turns three years old | Usually once a year or every 10,000 miles – whichever comes first |
| Inspects safety-critical parts? | Yes | Yes |
| Will it lead to more work? | It can do. Any part that causes an MOT fail will need to be replaced | Occasionally. If a service tech identifies another problem during the regular service process |
| Will parts be replaced? | Only if they need replacing to get the car to pass the MOT test | Yes. Consumable parts like fluids and filters will be replaced |
| Who carries it out? | An MOT-registered test centre. This includes many dealerships and service centres | Almost all service centres or dealerships can handle servicing |
What is an MOT?
An MOT – or MOT test – is a standardised government-required test for your car. It's set by the Ministry of Transport to make sure your car is safe to drive on the roads. Every car must pass a yearly MOT test once it hits three years old.
Important parts checked during an MOT test include:
- Body structure
- Safety equipment like seatbelts and airbags
- Brakes
- Tyres
- Lights
- Fuel system
- Exhaust system and emissions
Learn more about the MOT test and how to prepare your car for it
What is a service?
A service is a package of work carried out by a dealership or service centre. It keeps your car running properly by replacing its critical fluids and filters – clearing out any microscopic particles that could wear out important internal engine parts.
Your car's manufacturer will specify a service interval in your car's handbook. This is how often your car should be serviced. As a guideline, most cars need servicing every 12 months or 10,000 miles – whichever comes first.
Servicing isn't a legal requirement but is needed to keep your car's warranty intact. Missing services also dramatically increases your risk of an expensive mechanical failure, and substantially reduces your car's resale value – so it always makes financial sense to keep your car serviced on time.
Learn more about car servicing
Why do you need an MOT and a service?
Your car needs both a valid MOT test and regular servicing – but for different reasons.
The MOT test is a legal requirement for every car once it hits three years old. It's mandated by the government to make sure that your car is safe enough to use on the public roads. Driving without a valid MOT could see you stopped by the police and hit with a fine and penalty points on your licence.
Keeping your car serviced isn't a legal requirement, but it's vitally important for keeping your car running properly. Missing a service will void any warranty your car has, seriously reduce its resale value, and make it likely that an important part will fail, costing you much more than the service would have done.
Can I combine an MOT and a service?
Yes. Almost all dealerships and service centres that can perform both MOT tests and servicing will be happy to carry out both functions for your car. Combining your MOT and service might make them easier to fit into your busy schedule as you'll only need to make one visit to the service centre rather than two.
This only really works for low or average-mileage drivers who only service their car every 12 months because they don't hit the mileage limit. Drivers who cover high miles will probably need to service their car more than once per year, so you won't be able to line up your services with your yearly MOT test.
Be aware that, if you're planning on combining your MOT and servicing into one operation, you'll probably need to have one done earlier than scheduled to bring both into line. This is important as you won't want to leave your car without a valid MOT or unserviced while you wait for the other deadline to come around.
Why is a service more expensive than MOT?
A service is a longer, more complex job than an MOT test. Servicing requires the technician to remove old fluids and filters from your car and replace them with fresh parts, which takes time and incurs parts costs.
An MOT test, by comparison, is made up of simpler visual and surface-level checks to make sure your car is safe enough to use on the road. By default, no parts will be disassembled or replaced during an MOT, unless your MOT centre informs you that extra work is needed to get the car to pass.
