Terms and conditions for a garage and MOT centre

A garage needs terms that deal with the vehicle booked in for one job that turns out to need three, the customer who will not answer the phone while the car is on the ramp, the part the customer brought in themselves, and the fleet account that pays when it suits. I draft customer terms for a garage and MOT centre for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Independent garages, servicing and repair workshops, MOT test centres, tyre and exhaust fitters and mobile mechanics in England and Wales. Most of your work is for consumers, who have rights you cannot draft away, and a useful share is for fleets, leasing companies, dealers and local businesses on account. One set of terms can cover both if it is written with both in mind.

What matters in a garage's terms

Estimates, diagnosis and authorising extra work

Almost every workshop dispute begins with 'I never agreed to that'. The car comes in for a knocking noise, the strip-down finds more, and the bill is three times the figure discussed at the counter. Your terms should make clear that an estimate is an estimate, set out how you obtain authority for additional work and what happens when you cannot reach the customer, and confirm that diagnostic time is chargeable whether or not a fault is found. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 information a consumer relies on in deciding is binding, so a number given on the phone can become the price.

MOT work, advisories and retests

An MOT records the condition of a vehicle on the day it is presented. It is not a service, and it is not a promise that nothing will go wrong the following week. Say that in the terms, explain that advisory items are for the customer to act on or ignore, and set out your retest arrangements and any retest charge before the vehicle arrives rather than at the counter afterwards. Where you go on to repair a failure item, that is separate work at a separate price, authorised separately. The customer who took a pass as a clean bill of health complains loudest.

Parts, guarantees and customer-supplied components

Parts are goods and labour is a service, and they are treated differently. For consumers the Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives a short-term right to reject faulty goods within 30 days, then repair or replacement, and you cannot contract out of it. Your terms should separate your labour guarantee from any manufacturer warranty on the part, say how long each runs and what it covers, and require the vehicle to be returned to you for inspection. Customer-supplied parts deserve their own clause: you will fit them only if you agree to, with no guarantee on the part and labour chargeable again if it fails.

Vehicles, keys, courtesy cars and storage

You take custody of an asset worth far more than the invoice. The terms should cover keys and security, whether and by whom the vehicle is road tested, what your insurance responds to, and belongings left inside. Courtesy cars need their own section: who may drive, fuel and mileage, the insurance excess and who carries parking and speeding penalties. A storage charge beginning a stated period after you have told the customer the vehicle is ready is reasonable, but keep it at a level you can justify, because a disproportionate default charge is unlikely to bind a consumer.

Consumers booking by phone or online

Bookings taken by phone, email or through your website are distance contracts under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013: fourteen days to cancel, plus pre-contract information you have to give. Exceptions cover urgent repairs the consumer has asked for and work fully performed within the period at the consumer's express request and acknowledgement, so your booking process matters as much as the wording. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 bans drip pricing, so an environmental or sundries charge belongs in the price you advertise, and the Consumer Rights (Payment Surcharges) Regulations 2012 rules out a card surcharge.

Trade accounts, liability and waste

Fleet operators, leasing companies and dealers pay on account, and that is where the money goes missing. Set credit limits, invoicing terms and a right to stop work on an overdue account. The Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 gives interest at 8% over base rate plus fixed compensation of £40, £70 or £100 depending on the size of the debt. Cap your liability to business customers and exclude consequential loss such as their lost hire income, though no cap can touch liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence. Taking waste oil, tyres or batteries off site needs waste carrier registration with the Environment Agency.

What it costs

Customer or supplier terms and conditions, £995. One set of terms, customer-facing or supplier-facing, drafted around your business. Five working days.

Review of your existing terms, £495. You already have terms and want to know how much of a problem they are. Returned marked up with my amendments and an explanation of the changes. Three working days.

Buying online forms the engagement on payment. The scope is what the terms and conditions drafting page describes, you accept the Terms of Service at checkout, and I email you within four working hours to get started. If you would rather ask something first, email me.

What you get

• A full set of terms drafted around your business, not a template with your name inserted
• A covering note in plain English explaining every commercial choice I made and why, so you can defend the terms in a negotiation without ringing me
• Liability, payment, termination and IP provisions set at a level that will survive a procurement review
• Consumer-facing wording drafted to be enforceable where you sell to consumers
• Guidance on how to incorporate the terms properly, which is where most businesses actually fail
• One round of amendments after you have read them

What is not included

• Negotiating your terms with individual customers
• Sector-specific regulatory compliance beyond the contract terms themselves
• Website privacy notice and cookie compliance, which I quote separately
• Terms governed by the law of another country

Questions I am often asked

A customer says the MOT should have caught a fault that failed a week later. Where do I stand?

That turns on what a competent tester would have found on the day, not on what broke afterwards. Your obligation to a consumer is to work with reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, which is a different thing from guaranteeing the vehicle. Terms that spell out what a test does and does not cover make that conversation shorter.

How do I make sure my terms actually apply when a car is booked in over the phone?

The terms have to reach the customer before the work is authorised, not appear on the invoice afterwards. In practice that means a booking confirmation by email or text with the terms attached or linked, and a job card the customer signs or approves. I include guidance on incorporation when I deliver the drafted terms.

Can I charge for diagnostic time when I cannot find the fault?

Charging for diagnostic time is normal, provided the customer is told the rate and the likely time before you begin. The terms should state that the charge is for the work carried out rather than for a result, and that a no-fault-found outcome is still payable. Customers accept this when it is said at booking.

Related guidance and services

• Terms and conditions drafting, £995, the service this page describes
• Contract review, £495
• Employment contracts and handbooks, £595
• Terms and conditions for a locksmith
• Terms and conditions for a handyman service

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: September 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.