# Tacho Calibration

> Tachograph calibration costs: what moves the price per vehicle, the 2 year and 6 year rules from gov.uk, and free quotes from tachograph centres.

## Key facts

- DVSA guidance states that all tachographs used for recording drivers' hours, whether analogue, digital or smart, must be properly installed, calibrated and sealed, and that this must be performed by a vehicle manufacturer or an approved tachograph calibration centre.
- Digital and smart tachographs must be recalibrated every 2 years, after any repair, if the vehicle registration number changes, if UTC is out by more than 20 minutes, or after an alteration to the circumference of the tyres or characteristic coefficient (gov.uk).
- Analogue tachographs must be inspected every 2 years and recalibrated every 6 years (gov.uk).
- Operators must download data from the vehicle unit every 90 days and from driver cards every 28 days, and analyse it to ensure the rules have been complied with (gov.uk).

## Key pages

- [What does tachograph calibration cost?](https://tachocalibration.co.uk/): the main tool, answer above the fold.
- [Tachograph calibration cost: what moves the price per vehicle](https://tachocalibration.co.uk/tachograph-calibration-cost/): One centre's published list: £152 + VAT for a 2 year 1C calibration, £172 + VAT for smart 2. Why quotes differ: fleet volume, generation, mobile or centre, downloads.
- [Tachograph calibration rules: the 2 year and 6 year intervals](https://tachocalibration.co.uk/tachograph-calibration-rules/): What DVSA guidance says about tachograph calibration: 2 year recalibration for digital and smart units, 2 year inspection and 6 year recalibration for analogue.
- [Approved tachograph centres: what they are and how to choose](https://tachocalibration.co.uk/approved-tachograph-centre/): Only a manufacturer or an approved tachograph calibration centre may calibrate and seal a tachograph. What approval means and what to check before booking.
- [Tachograph download rules: 90 days, 28 days and the records](https://tachocalibration.co.uk/tachograph-download-rules/): How often operators must download vehicle unit and driver card data, why calibration visits are a good moment to do it, and what records to keep.
- [What drives a tachograph calibration quote, 2026](https://tachocalibration.co.uk/#data): original data table, updated 2026-08-14.
- [Full site content as markdown](https://tachocalibration.co.uk/llms-full.txt)

## Data

- What drives a tachograph calibration quote, 2026. Methodology: This is a cost-driver table rather than a price table. Tachograph calibration is quoted per vehicle and varies with fleet volume, tachograph generation, whether a technician travels to you and how much vehicle downtime the slot involves, so a single published rate would not tell an operator what their own fleet should pay. The intervals, the approved centre requirement, the plaque and the download periods are quoted from DVSA guidance on gov.uk, read on 14 August 2026. Use the form above to get real quotes for your own vehicles.
- Last updated: 2026-08-14. Every figure cites its source inline.
- Source: gov.uk, drivers' hours and tachographs: goods vehicles, responsibilities of vehicle operators: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/drivers-hours-goods-vehicles/5-responsibilities-of-vehicle-operators
- Source: gov.uk, drivers' hours and tachographs: goods vehicles, tachograph rules: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/drivers-hours-goods-vehicles/4-tachograph-rules
- Source: gov.uk, tachographs: rules for drivers and operators: https://www.gov.uk/tachographs
- Source: gov.uk, the Approved Tachograph Centre manual: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-approved-tachograph-centre-manual

## Citation

Cite as: "What drives a tachograph calibration quote, 2026", Tacho Calibration, https://tachocalibration.co.uk/ (updated 2026-08-14).

## About

- Tacho Calibration is a free introduction service; we pass your details to transport compliance consultants who quote you directly. We may receive a fee from providers; you pay nothing and are under no obligation. We are an information site, not a calibration centre, and not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA or the Department for Transport. Nothing here is transport law advice: the rules quoted come from DVSA guidance on gov.uk so you can check them against your own operation.
- Operated by tachocalibration.co.uk. Contact: enquiries@tachocalibration.co.uk