Right, so you’ve spent months building your car. Maybe it’s lowered, mapped, and wrapped within an inch of its life. Maybe you’ve just got a solid standard hot hatch that you fancy actually pushing for once. Either way, you’re sitting there thinking: how do I actually drive this thing properly without either bankrupting myself or ending up wrapped round an Armco barrier at 90mph? The answer, and I genuinely can’t believe more people in the cruise scene don’t know this, is autocross autotest UK motor club events. Proper competitive motorsport. For about the cost of a tank of petrol.
I came across my first autotest about three years ago through a mate who’d been quietly racking up trophies at his local motor club whilst the rest of us were just doing car park meets. I turned up expecting some watered-down nonsense and came away absolutely buzzing. Here’s what you need to know.
What actually is autocross and autotest?
These are two separate disciplines, though they’re often run by the same clubs and sometimes on the same day. Both are about navigating a course defined by cones (and occasionally posts or lines) in the shortest possible time. No racing other cars side by side. No 150mph straights. Just you, your car, and a course that’ll expose every weakness in your driving within about 30 seconds flat.
Autotest is the tamer of the two on paper, but don’t let that fool you. It’s typically run on tarmac, usually a car park or airfield, and courses often include reversing sections. Yes, reversing. At speed. If you think that sounds easy, watch someone spin their front-wheel drive hatch trying to flick it round a cone in reverse and reconsider. Entry costs are minimal, usually anywhere from £15 to £40 depending on the club, and some rounds cost even less for club members.
Autocross steps things up slightly. It’s run on grass or unsealed surfaces, which is simultaneously brilliant and terrifying. Courses are longer, often 45 to 90 seconds per run, and the car control required to stay quick on a slippery grass surface is an entirely different skill set to tarmac driving. It’s also, genuinely, one of the most fun things you can do with a standard-ish car on a Saturday morning.
How do UK motor clubs organise these events?
Almost every region of the UK has at least one motor club running these formats. The Motorsport UK website has a full club directory and lists permitted events by discipline, so finding your nearest club takes about five minutes. Most clubs are affiliated with Motorsport UK (formerly the MSA), which means events are properly permitted and run under a recognised set of regulations.
A typical autocross or autotest day runs something like this: you turn up, scrutineering checks your car meets basic safety requirements (seatbelts, no loose items in the cabin, tyres aren’t completely bald), you walk the course, and then you get multiple timed runs. Aggregate your times, compare to everyone else in your class, collect a trophy or at least some healthy humiliation. Repeat next month.
The classes are the important bit for modified car owners. Most events split competitors by engine size, drive type (front, rear, four-wheel drive), and sometimes whether the car is standard or modified. This matters because you’re not turning up in your mapped and lowered Civic Type R and getting laughed at for being “too serious.” You’ll just run in the appropriate class. Equally, you don’t need a heavily modified car to compete. A standard Polo can absolutely destroy a track day car over a tight autotest course if the driver is good.
Why this is cheaper than any circuit day you’ll find
Let me be blunt about the economics here, because this is genuinely the most compelling argument. A track day at a circuit like Brands Hatch or Silverstone will set you back £150 to £350 before you’ve even looked at fuel, tyres, or the hotel you might need if you’re travelling. Then there’s the insurance question, which as we’ve covered in our track day insurance breakdown, can add a serious chunk on top of that. The total bill for a proper circuit day easily clears £500 once everything’s factored in.
An autocross or autotest entry? Between £15 and £50. Annual club membership, which unlocks all the club’s events and often includes your Motorsport UK competition licence fee, typically runs to £30 to £80 a year. Your car doesn’t need to be on slicks. Your standard road tyres are absolutely fine to start. There’s no scrutineering requirement for a roll cage or fire extinguisher at most entry-level events. You’re not going fast enough to need it.
This is why I’d argue it’s the smartest entry point for anyone who’s just started modifying and wants to actually develop their driving. The low stakes mean you learn without the terrifying financial consequences of a circuit off. Binning it into a cone at 30mph on a car park is embarrassing. Binning it at 80mph into a barrier is a very different category of problem, both for your car and your modified car insurance.
What car do you actually need?
Honestly? Almost anything with four wheels and a current MOT. I’ve seen people autocrossing Corsa Bs, Mk2 Polos, a very determined bloke in a Renault Clio 172 that was making some truly alarming noises but kept finishing runs. The beauty of these events is that car prep is low-key compared to circuit racing.
For autotest on tarmac, a standard or mildly modified front-wheel drive hatch is genuinely the ideal starting point. Light, nimble, and predictable enough to throw about aggressively without it going properly wrong. For autocross on grass, something with a bit more suspension travel can help, though people run slammed cars at these events too. If you’ve already gone down the suspension lowering route, just be aware that extreme low cars can struggle on the bumpier grass venues.
Remove all loose items from the cabin before scrutineering. That means floor mats secured properly, no empty energy drink cans rolling around under the pedals, and your spare wheel tied down if you have one. That’s genuinely most of what they’re checking.
How to find your first event
Start with the Motorsport UK club finder at motorsportuk.org. Search for clubs in your region, head to their website or Facebook group (most UK motor clubs live and breathe through Facebook), and look for their upcoming calendar. Many clubs run a “novice” or “first event” briefing at the start of each day specifically for people who’ve never done it before. Go to that. Ask questions. The car club crowd at grassroots events is overwhelmingly welcoming to newcomers who show genuine interest.
You’ll need a Motorsport UK competition licence for most events, but at grassroots level, a RS Clubman licence covers you and costs around £21. Apply through Motorsport UK’s website. Some clubs run “non-licence” fun events first, which let you have a go without even that small commitment, so it’s worth checking what your local club offers.
The cruise scene and the motor club scene don’t overlap as much as they should. One is about looking the part on a warm Friday evening, the other is about whether you can actually drive the car you’ve spent all that money building. The best people I know in car culture do both, and none of them regret discovering autocross and autotest UK motor club events when they finally did.
Go find your local club. Enter a round. Get embarrassed by someone in a diesel Saxo on the first event, and then start getting progressively less embarrassed as the season goes on. That’s the way it works. And it costs less than a full tank of premium unleaded.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a competition licence to enter autocross or autotest in the UK?
For most officially permitted events you’ll need a Motorsport UK RS Clubman licence, which costs around £21 and is applied for online through the Motorsport UK website. Some clubs run introductory or non-licence fun events first, so check with your local motor club before committing even to that small cost.
Can I enter autotest in a standard road car?
Yes, absolutely. Most autotest and autocross events have classes specifically for standard or near-standard road cars, and a bog-standard hatchback can be genuinely competitive. You’ll just need a valid MOT, no loose items in the cabin, and tyres that aren’t dangerously worn.
How much does it cost to enter a UK motor club autocross or autotest event?
Entry fees typically range from £15 to £50 per event, with annual club membership usually costing between £30 and £80. This makes it significantly cheaper than a circuit track day, which can easily exceed £300 before factoring in fuel, tyres, and insurance.
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