Possible that the garage you took it to didn't actually do the test, and the £10 is the cost to take it to the MOT centre?

Sharp practice.

Ask for the admin fee to be returned and if they refuse, as suggested above, contact the authorities.

Yes, that's quite right. VOSA quote a maximum fee that can be charged for an MOT test and that amount can't be exceeded. There is no VAT.

Should they so wish a testing centre may charge a lower fee as, indeed, many do. They can carry out MOT tests for free should they so wish!

But I've never heard of an "MOT Admin Fee". Could be the charge for taking the car for a test to another garage if the garage themselves aren't an MOT testing station. But, other than that, I can't think of any reason for there being such a fee at all.

I think you need to ask the garage a few questions.

I can beat that admin charge.

The French controle technique station that we use, because it's handy, actually charges us an extra €7.50 for testing a vehicle with the steering wheel on the right hand side.

And it's written up on the tarrif notice in the office.

The cheeky so and so.

If your small independent mechanic does not do MOTs then you have to pay for time taken, including waiting, if you want it done when he services car. The advantage is that MOT test station knows that they will not get any work from a fail, a mechanic is better able to argue a marginal opinion and if they unreasonably fail then the MOT station will lose business.

I nearly got a fail for not having rubbers on pedals but these were drilled aluminium pedals that had never had rubbers and were standard on model not even aftermarket. He relented, I think that he realised that he might be wrong, I did not have to threaten to report him to VOSPA but would I have a claim for costs resulting from an incorrect failure if I spent money rectifying or hiring a car? I guess car would still be illegal to drive even if reason for failure was wrong: and this is a matter of fact not opinion as some things are on MOT.