PAT Testing Cost: Per-Item Prices, Minimum Charges and What Moves the Fee
- As a broad guide, expect around £1 to £3 per appliance at volume, with a minimum charge of roughly £50 to £100 for a small visit.
- Minimum charges dominate for small premises. Twenty items might cost the same as sixty.
- Spread-out sites, out-of-hours access and remedial work (replacing fuses, plugs and leads) are the usual extras.
- An asset register from the first visit makes every later visit quicker and cheaper.
PAT testing is one of the few compliance services with a simple pricing model: a price per appliance, with a minimum charge for the visit. That makes it easy to budget and easy to compare, but the headline per-item rate hides most of what matters. Volume, access, how many sites and what the engineer is expected to fix on the spot all move the final figure. Here is what to expect and what to ask.
Typical prices
These are broad guides, not quotes. Prices vary by region, contractor and how the visit is scoped.
- Per appliance: commonly around £1 to £3 per item for larger volumes, with higher rates for small counts where the engineer's travel and setup dominate.
- Minimum charge: typically £50 to £100 for a single small premises, which covers the visit however few items there are.
- Small office (20 to 50 items): usually at or just above the minimum.
- Larger office or shop (100 to 300 items): priced on the per-item rate, often with a lower rate above a threshold.
- Multi-site or industrial: quoted on scope, usually with a day rate or a blended per-item figure.
What moves the fee
Volume. The per-item rate falls as the count rises, because setup and travel are spread across more items.
Access and layout. Equipment spread across floors, locked rooms and busy workstations takes longer than equipment on one open floor. Out-of-hours visits to avoid disruption cost more.
Equipment mix. Items that need electrical testing take longer than those that only need a visual inspection. HSE is clear that not everything needs a full test, so a contractor applying a risk-based approach may test fewer items and charge less than one who tests everything.
Remedials. Replacing a fuse, a plug or a damaged lead on the spot is usually a small extra per item. Agree the rates before the visit.
Sites. Several sites on one contract are cheaper per site than separate bookings, and give you one register.
When the cheapest quote is not the cheapest
A very low per-item price can mean a rushed visit: labels on everything, little real inspection, and a register that lists items without locations. The value of PAT testing is the inspection and the record, not the sticker. Ask what the price includes: a visual inspection of each item, electrical tests where needed, labels, a register with locations and results, and recommended next dates. A quote that includes those at a fair rate beats a cheaper one that does not.
Get a PAT testing quote
Tell us roughly how many appliances and sites you have. A competent engineer sends a no-obligation quote.
How to keep the cost down
Have an asset list ready, or let the first visit build one. Group equipment where you can on the day. Book testing alongside other electrical work such as the EICR if the same contractor does both. Follow the risk-based intervals in our guide to how often to PAT test, so you are not paying to test office IT equipment every year when it does not need it.
Getting an accurate quote
To price the job an engineer needs the premises type, roughly how many appliances you have, how many sites and when you need it. ComSurv gathers that in about a minute and matches you with one competent PAT testing engineer who covers your area, for a no-obligation quote.
Sources & further reading
- HSE: PAT, answers to popular questions — not everything needs a full test, which affects what you pay for
- HSE INDG236: Maintaining portable electric equipment in low-risk environments — the risk-based approach that keeps testing proportionate
External links open in a new tab. ComSurv is a matching service, not a firm of surveyors, and is not affiliated with these organisations. This article is general information, not legal, surveying or valuation advice; take advice on your specific situation.
