An MOT and vehicle testing station is an unusual business to fund: it carries a heavy load of approved, calibrated equipment, it operates under DVSA rules that dictate what you can install and how often it must be checked, and it earns through a regulated test fee topped up by the repair, retest and servicing work the bays pull through. Whether you run a single class 4 station bolted onto a repair garage or a multi-lane site testing class 7 vans and class 5 minibuses, the costs split into two halves — the big, planned kit purchases and the steadier day-to-day running costs. Credicorp lends to UK MOT and vehicle testing limited companies and LLPs for these business purposes.
Who we lend to
We lend to incorporated testing stations only — limited companies and LLPs — not to a sole trader running a garage in their own name. The loan sits with the company, directors are not asked to give personal guarantees, and we assess the business itself rather than the people behind it. Our page on why we lend to companies, not sole traders sets out the reasoning if you are weighing it up, and we are a lender rather than a broker, so you deal with us directly.
What testing stations typically fund
- An approved test lane or automated test lane (ATL): brake rollers, a play detector, a headlamp aim tester and an emissions analyser to the current DVSA specification
- Two-post, four-post or scissor ramps, plus the groundwork and installation a new bay needs
- DVSA approval and site-preparation costs when opening a new station or adding a vehicle class
- Recalibration, servicing contracts and replacement equipment as ageing kit reaches the end of its life
- Diagnostic gear, tyre changers and wheel balancers for the repair work that runs alongside testing
- Wages and consumables across quieter weeks, while the steady drip of test and repair income catches up
The capital kit versus the running costs
The two halves of the business suit different products. A test lane, a ramp or a full bay fit-out is normally a single, sized cost you can quote up front — equipment, installation, calibration and any approval work — so Credicorp Slice is usually the right shape: you draw one amount and repay over an agreed term. The running side of a station — wages, consumables, seasonal swings as MOT volumes rise and fall — moves unevenly, and that is where Credicorp Flex fits, letting you draw what you need as the work comes in. Many stations end up using both over time. The rate and term that apply are always the ones set out in your offer.
Opening a bay or adding a class
Adding a bay or a new vehicle class is the most common trigger for funding, and it is worth costing properly rather than budgeting for the headline equipment price alone. Factor in DVSA approval, the site requirements, calibration and staff training, and match the repayment term to the working life of the kit — a ramp or test lane should comfortably outlast the loan. Because fitting out a bay is a defined, mostly one-off purchase, our use-case guide on funding an MOT bay or fleet servicing equipment walks through that specific decision, and equipment and plant costs for incorporated firms covers the wider points that apply to any heavy workshop purchase.
Where this sits alongside the wider trade
A testing station often shares a roof with general servicing and repair, and the funding need overlaps. If your business leans more towards mechanical work, vans and fleet servicing than testing alone, funding for trades businesses and financing a commercial vehicle may be closer to the mark, while this page is aimed squarely at the equipment, approval and working-capital realities of running a test bay.
Before you apply
This is business lending to companies, outside the FCA consumer-credit regime, so the Financial Ombudsman Service and FSCS protections do not apply. It is worth matching any facility to your equipment plan and the seasonal pattern of your test and repair income before you commit — our team can talk it through. When you are ready, start a conversation through contact us and tell us about your bays, the classes you test and what you are looking to fund.
See also: Can an accountancy practice borrow from Credicorp?, Financing materials and stock purchases, How do we fund a large new contract?.