I take my 3.5 tonne van to the council mot place at South Shields but my car was too low.
There are two other council mot places which I haven't tried, the thing I like about the council is that you make an appointment for a specific time and sit in a viewing area whilst the mot is done, they charge the full mot price.
Newington Road, Shieldfield, Newcastle - 01912 783867
Park Road, Gateshead NE8 3HN - 01914 337433
I always use Pelaw mot centre, my brother takes his Corvette there aswell. Like many other places it appears a little run down but the owner is a decent bloke who's been there for years.