Most Common MOT Problems by Car Make (2026)

Every car make has its weak spots. We looked at 62,041,900 MOT tests across 93 makes (DVSA data for tests carried out in 2024, retests included). The pass rates are measured; the typical issue for each make is our estimate from the age, fuel type and engine size of its cars.

Click any make to see its models' pass rates and typical issues to check.

Check Your Car's MOT History

See what your specific car has failed on, plus health score and running cost estimates.

Most Common MOT Failure Categories (All Makes)

Most common first, in the order of DVSA's published MOT statistics (initial failures by defect category, 2024 to 2025).

Lights & Signalling

Blown bulbs, misaligned headlamps, faulty indicators

Suspension

Worn bushes, leaking shocks, broken springs

Brakes

Worn pads, corroded discs, brake line corrosion

Tyres

Low tread, damage, incorrect pressure

Windscreen & Wipers

Chips, cracks, worn wiper blades

Body & Structure

Structural corrosion, sills, subframe rust

Exhaust & Emissions

High emissions, catalytic converter, exhaust leaks

Steering

Track rod ends, power steering leaks, play in steering

All Makes: Average Pass Rate & Typical Issues

Click a make for a model-by-model breakdown of pass rates and typical issues to check.

#	Make	Avg Pass Rate	Models	Tests	Typical Issue (estimate)
1	Ford	85%	827	8,110,306	Exhaust & Emissions
2	Volkswagen	85%	834	5,801,397	Exhaust & Emissions
3	Vauxhall	84%	678	5,390,621	Lights
4	BMW	88%	1134	4,035,075	Suspension
5	Mercedes	87%	886	3,639,682	Suspension
6	Audi	90%	739	3,572,164	Suspension
7	Nissan	81%	473	2,994,609	Lights
8	Toyota	84%	681	2,912,098	Suspension
9	Peugeot	83%	534	2,571,159	Lights
10	Land Rover	90%	458	2,238,337	Exhaust & Emissions
11	Renault	80%	431	1,867,662	Lights
12	Citroen	79%	429	1,838,293	Exhaust & Emissions
13	Kia	86%	397	1,691,205	Lights
14	Honda	84%	268	1,635,670	Lights
15	MINI	84%	230	1,572,794	Lights
16	Hyundai	83%	327	1,549,591	Lights
17	Fiat	83%	477	1,445,508	Exhaust & Emissions
18	Skoda	88%	245	1,337,028	Lights
19	Volvo	87%	481	1,121,644	Lights
20	SEAT	85%	228	1,036,513	Lights
21	Mazda	81%	304	960,687	Lights
22	Jaguar	88%	231	789,035	Suspension
23	Suzuki	82%	238	728,547	Lights & Tyres
24	Mitsubishi	80%	265	549,070	Suspension
25	Porsche	92%	185	455,550	Suspension
26	Dacia	89%	66	323,672	Lights
27	Lexus	87%	206	292,949	Suspension
28	MG	86%	130	198,673	Lights & Tyres
29	Tesla	89%	38	171,726	Lights
30	Alfa Romeo	80%	105	142,554	Suspension
31	Jeep	78%	173	138,306	Exhaust & Emissions
32	Smart (MCC)	78%	64	136,234	Lights & Tyres
33	Subaru	83%	136	107,985	Suspension
34	Chevrolet	76%	62	107,120	Brakes
35	Saab	75%	43	94,662	Suspension
36	DS	88%	40	85,568	Exhaust & Emissions
37	Isuzu	78%	64	82,402	Exhaust & Emissions
38	Bentley	94%	84	71,046	Suspension
39	Abarth	88%	49	69,373	Lights & Tyres
40	Rover	74%	91	67,094	Lights
41	Aston Martin	94%	91	54,533	Suspension
42	SsangYong	80%	55	44,685	Exhaust & Emissions
43	Ferrari	96%	88	37,564	Suspension
44	Chrysler	74%	55	33,415	Exhaust & Emissions
45	Daihatsu	71%	62	32,018	Brakes
46	Maserati	89%	69	27,923	Suspension
47	Chrysler-Jeep	74%	60	23,657	Exhaust & Emissions
48	London Taxis Int	76%	17	23,105	Exhaust & Emissions
49	Smart	80%	60	22,471	Lights & Tyres
50	LEVC	96%	15	22,418	Lights
51	Lotus	90%	52	19,014	Suspension
52	Infiniti	87%	30	18,555	Exhaust & Emissions
53	Cupra	93%	24	16,030	Lights & Wipers
54	Talbot	66%	18	14,583	Exhaust & Emissions
55	TVR	90%	31	14,001	Suspension
56	Lamborghini	98%	28	13,289	Suspension
57	Rolls-Royce	95%	46	13,230	Suspension
58	McLaren	97%	21	12,156	Suspension
59	Polestar	93%	11	10,446	Lights & Wipers
60	Dodge	84%	20	10,002	Suspension
61	Morgan	92%	22	7,941	Suspension
62	LDV	69%	16	7,362	Exhaust & Emissions
63	Iveco	77%	23	6,988	Exhaust & Emissions
64	Caterham	91%	10	5,522	Lights
65	Perodua	73%	11	4,526	Lights & Tyres
66	Daewoo	67%	9	3,529	Brakes
67	Proton	70%	15	3,310	Brakes
68	Chausson	92%	5	2,940	Exhaust & Emissions
69	Yamaha	92%	0	2,575	Lights & Wipers
70	Great Wall	72%	8	2,221	Exhaust & Emissions
71	Dodge (USA)	74%	3	2,101	Exhaust & Emissions
72	Hymer	91%	7	2,101	Exhaust & Emissions
73	Auto-Trail	77%	5	1,988	Exhaust & Emissions
74	Daimler	77%	4	1,600	Suspension
75	Maxus	86%	1	1,501	Lights & Wipers
76	MCC	72%	5	1,363	Lights & Tyres
77	Ci Motorhome	76%	1	1,347	Exhaust & Emissions
78	Renault Trucks	80%	4	1,184	Lights & Wipers
79	Chevrolet Gmc	84%	0	1,124	Lights & Wipers
80	Alpine	94%	5	1,076	Lights
81	Coleman Milne	84%	3	1,074	Exhaust & Emissions
82	General Motors	90%	1	992	Suspension
83	Lancia	87%	3	789	Lights
84	Chrysler Jeep	76%	3	756	Suspension
85	Dethleffs	90%	0	741	Lights & Wipers
86	Piaggio	72%	2	670	Brakes
87	Burstner	92%	0	662	Lights & Wipers
88	DFSK	72%	3	643	Brakes
89	MAN	92%	1	639	Lights & Wipers
90	Hummer	90%	1	628	Suspension
91	Microcar	78%	1	607	Lights & Tyres
92	Aixam	75%	0	565	Lights & Wipers
93	Carbodies	78%	2	554	Exhaust & Emissions

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most common MOT failures?

In DVSA's published MOT statistics, the most common reasons for failure are lamps and electrical faults (blown bulbs, misaligned headlamps), followed by suspension (worn bushes, leaking shock absorbers), brakes (worn pads, corroded discs) and tyres (low tread, damage). Many of these are cheap to fix if caught early. Checking your lights, tyres, and wipers before the test can save you a retest fee.

Which car makes have the most MOT problems?

In our data, pass rates depend heavily on age, so makes whose cars are mostly older have lower average pass rates and makes whose cars are mostly newer score higher. The table on this page shows each make's average MOT pass rate; it is fairest to compare makes that sell similar cars of a similar age.

How can I avoid MOT failures?

Check your lights, tyres, and wipers before the test. These are the cheapest and easiest items to fix yourself. For brakes and suspension, listen for unusual noises and get them inspected if anything feels wrong. Regular servicing helps prevent many failures. You can also check your car's MOT history to see what has failed before and address recurring issues.

Check Any Car Free

Get MOT history, health score, mileage verification, and running cost estimates for any UK car. Free, no signup needed.

Reliability Rankings

Most and least reliable cars ranked by MOT pass rate

Cheapest Cars to Run

Lowest annual running costs for every make and model

ULEZ Guide

Check if your car is ULEZ compliant

Methodology

A pass rate is the share of MOT tests that ended in a pass, from DVSA's anonymised results for tests carried out in 2024 (retests included). Each make's average is the average of the pass rates of its models and years. The typical issue shown for each make is an estimate based on the age, fuel type and engine size of its cars; it is not counted from defect records. The order of the overall failure categories follows DVSA's published MOT statistics for class 3 and 4 vehicles (initial failures by defect category, 2024 to 2025). Data sourced from the DVSA under the Open Government Licence v3.0.