Most Common MOT Problems by Car Make (2026)

Q: What are the most common MOT failures?

The most common MOT failures across all makes are lighting and signalling defects (blown bulbs, misaligned headlamps), followed by suspension issues (worn bushes, leaking shock absorbers), brake problems (worn pads, corroded discs), and tyre condition (low tread, damage). These four categories account for the majority of all MOT failures in the UK.

Every car make has its weak spots. We analysed 62,114,123 MOT tests across 103 makes to find the most common failure categories for each manufacturer.

Click any make to see a detailed breakdown of common problems by model.

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Most Common MOT Failure Categories (All Makes)

Lights & Signalling

30%

Blown bulbs, misaligned headlamps, faulty indicators

Suspension

20%

Worn bushes, leaking shocks, broken springs

Brakes

18%

Worn pads, corroded discs, brake line corrosion

Tyres

12%

Low tread, damage, incorrect pressure

Exhaust & Emissions

10%

High emissions, catalytic converter, exhaust leaks

Steering

Track rod ends, power steering leaks, play in steering

Body & Structure

Structural corrosion, sills, subframe rust

Windscreen & Wipers

Chips, cracks, worn wiper blades

All Makes: Average Pass Rate & Common Issues

Click a make for a detailed model-by-model breakdown of common problems.

#	Make	Avg Pass Rate	Models	Tests	Common Issue
1	Ford	85%	844	8,110,306	Exhaust & Emissions
2	Volkswagen	85%	851	5,801,397	Exhaust & Emissions
3	Vauxhall	84%	679	5,390,621	Lights
4	Bmw	88%	1143	4,035,075	Suspension
5	Mercedes	87%	910	3,639,682	Suspension
6	Audi	90%	743	3,572,164	Suspension
7	Nissan	81%	492	2,994,609	Lights
8	Toyota	84%	699	2,912,098	Suspension
9	Peugeot	83%	544	2,571,159	Lights
10	Land Rover	90%	471	2,238,337	Exhaust & Emissions
11	Renault	80%	433	1,867,662	Lights
12	Citroen	79%	435	1,838,293	Exhaust & Emissions
13	Kia	86%	397	1,691,205	Lights
14	Honda	84%	270	1,635,670	Lights
15	Mini	84%	234	1,572,794	Lights
16	Hyundai	83%	327	1,549,591	Lights
17	Fiat	83%	499	1,445,508	Exhaust & Emissions
18	Skoda	88%	245	1,337,028	Lights
19	Volvo	87%	483	1,121,644	Lights
20	Seat	85%	228	1,036,513	Lights
21	Mazda	81%	314	960,687	Lights
22	Jaguar	88%	232	789,035	Suspension
23	Suzuki	82%	238	728,547	Lights & Tyres
24	Mitsubishi	80%	270	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%	33	13,289	Suspension
57	Rolls Royce	95%	46	13,230	Suspension
58	Mclaren	97%	23	12,156	Suspension
59	Polestar	93%	11	10,446	Lights & Wipers
60	Dodge	84%	22	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%	17	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	Dvsa	99%	1	3,047	Lights
69	Chausson	92%	12	2,940	Exhaust & Emissions
70	Smart Fortwo Passion Mhd Auto	82%	2	2,759	Lights & Tyres
71	Yamaha	92%	11	2,575	Lights & Tyres
72	Great Wall	72%	8	2,221	Exhaust & Emissions
73	Dodge (usa)	74%	3	2,101	Exhaust & Emissions
74	Hymer	91%	7	2,101	Exhaust & Emissions
75	Auto-trail	77%	5	1,988	Exhaust & Emissions
76	Daimler	77%	4	1,600	Suspension
77	Maxus	86%	1	1,501	Lights & Wipers
78	Mcc	72%	5	1,363	Lights & Tyres
79	Ci Motorhome	76%	1	1,347	Exhaust & Emissions
80	Renault Trucks	80%	4	1,184	Lights & Wipers
81	Adria	92%	3	1,150	Lights
82	Chevrolet Gmc	84%	0	1,124	Lights & Wipers
83	Auto-sleepers	95%	7	1,105	Exhaust & Emissions
84	Alpine	94%	5	1,076	Lights
85	Coleman Milne	84%	3	1,074	Exhaust & Emissions
86	General Motors	90%	1	992	Suspension
87	Erwin Hymer Group Uk	95%	3	979	Exhaust & Emissions
88	Smart Fortwo Pulse Mhd Auto	83%	2	850	Lights & Tyres
89	Lancia	87%	3	789	Lights
90	Chrysler Jeep	76%	3	756	Suspension
91	Dethleffs	90%	0	741	Lights & Wipers
92	Piaggio	72%	2	670	Brakes
93	Burstner	92%	3	662	Lights
94	Lintex Ht12t-12	100%	1	660	Lights & Tyres
95	Swift Group Ltd	92%	3	649	Exhaust & Emissions
96	Dfsk	72%	3	643	Brakes
97	Man	92%	1	639	Lights & Wipers
98	Hummer	90%	1	628	Suspension
99	Microcar	78%	1	607	Lights & Tyres
100	The Explorer Group	94%	3	601	Exhaust & Emissions
101	Smart Fortwo Pure 61 Mhd Auto	80%	1	597	Lights & Tyres
102	Aixam	75%	0	565	Lights & Wipers
103	Carbodies	78%	2	554	Exhaust & Emissions

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most common MOT failures?

The most common MOT failures across all makes are lighting defects (about 30% of failures), followed by suspension issues (20%), brakes (18%), and tyres (12%). 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?

Makes with the highest MOT failure rates tend to be older French and Italian brands, along with some luxury and performance brands where complex engineering leads to more potential failure points. Japanese makes like Toyota, Honda, and Mazda consistently have the lowest failure rates.

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 prevents most failures. You can also check your car's MOT history to see what has failed before and address recurring issues.

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Methodology

Common defect categories are inferred from MOT failure patterns based on vehicle characteristics including fuel type, engine size, and age. The overall failure category percentages are based on DVSA published statistics for MOT defect categories across all tested vehicles. Individual make breakdowns use our model-level MOT data to identify which issues are most prevalent for each manufacturer. Data sourced from the DVSA under the Open Government Licence v3.0.