PAT Testing Cost UK: Price Per Item & What to Expect (2026)

PAT testing typically costs £1–£3 per appliance, with the per-item rate falling as the count rises, plus a minimum call-out fee of around £40–£80. This guide breaks down realistic prices by volume, the red flags in suspiciously cheap quotes, and when it makes financial sense to train a staff member and bring PAT testing in-house instead.

If you are new to the topic — what PAT testing actually is, who needs it, and what the law says — start with our PAT testing explained guide. This page focuses on prices.

Almost all PAT testers price per appliance, with volume discounts. The more items on site, the lower the per-item rate — the tester's travel and setup time is spread across more tests.

Typical Per-Item Rates

• ✓1–50 items: typically £2–£3 per item
• ✓50–100 items: typically £1.50–£2.50 per item
• ✓100–250 items: typically £1–£2 per item
• ✓250+ items: typically £0.80–£1.50 per item
• ✓London and the South East: expect the top end of each range

Minimum and Call-Out Charges

Most testers charge a minimum fee of around £40–£80 regardless of item count, to cover travel and setup. For small sites this dominates the bill — 20 items at £2.50 each is £50, so a £60 minimum charge is what you would actually pay. Always ask for the total price, not just the per-item rate.

PAT testing is not itself a specific legal requirement. The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require employers to keep electrical equipment maintained in a safe condition — PAT testing is the standard way to evidence that duty for portable appliances, but the law does not name PAT testing or set a fixed interval.

How Often Should Equipment Be Tested?

Frequency is risk-based, following the IET Code of Practice (5th Edition, 2020) — not a blanket annual rule. The right interval depends on the equipment type and the environment: a power tool on a construction site needs much more frequent inspection than a monitor in an office. Your schedule should come from a documented risk assessment.

Landlords have their own set of obligations around electrical equipment supplied with a tenancy — see our PAT testing for landlords guide for the details.

If your business has a recurring PAT testing need, there is a point where paying a contractor every year stops making sense — and it arrives sooner than most people expect.

A Worked Example: 200 Items

• ✓Contractor: 200 items at around £1–£2 per item = typically £200–£400 per visit, every year
• ✓In-house: C&G 2377-77 PAT testing course at £260 (one day, one-off) plus a PAT tester at around £200–£800 (one-off)
• ✓Year one in-house cost: around £460–£1,060; every year after: effectively just staff time
• ✓By year two or three, the in-house option is typically ahead — and stays ahead

The in-house route also gives you flexibility: new equipment can be tested as it arrives rather than waiting for the annual visit, and high-risk items can be checked more often without another call-out fee.