Please note, we have since published MOT statistics from 2021.
We made a freedom of information request to the DVSA to find out:
- In 2020 which top 10 vehicles (by make and model) were most likely to fail the most MOT test?
- In 2020 what were the top 10 MOT advisory notices issued?
- In 2020 what were the top 10 reasons for MOT failures?
- In 2020 how many MOT tests were carried out in total?
We have presented the data returned to us by the DVSA in this blog post, this information could be especially useful to used car owners that are due an MOT shortly and want to be better prepared.
In 2020 which top 10 vehicles (by make and model) were most likely to fail the most MOT test?
Make | Model | Tests | Failures | Initial Failure Rate |
---|---|---|---|---|
VAUXHALL | CORSA | 846,742 | 316,009 | 37.32% |
VAUXHALL | ASTRA | 724,623 | 260,282 | 35.92% |
FORD | FOCUS | 1,031,127 | 345,735 | 33.53% |
VOLKSWAGEN | POLO | 571,842 | 188,585 | 32.98% |
FORD | FIESTA | 1,359,812 | 446,403 | 32.83% |
TOYOTA | YARIS | 410,373 | 124,984 | 30.46% |
VOLKSWAGEN | GOLF | 865,840 | 255,870 | 29.55% |
BMW | 3 SERIES | 453,370 | 127,554 | 28.13% |
NISSAN | QASHQAI | 420,716 | 115,115 | 27.36% |
AUDI | A3 | 395,454 | 103,047 | 26.06% |
In 2020 what were the top 10 MOT advisory notices issued?
inspection_manual_reference | level_1 | level_2 | level_3 | level_4 | Advisory Text | Advisories |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5.2.3 (e) | Tyres | Tread depth | worn close to legal limit/worn on edge | 8,185,136 | ||
1.1.14 (a) (ii) | Brakes | Mechanical brake components | Brake discs and drums | Brake discs | worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened | 3,381,677 |
5.2.3 (d) (ii) | Tyres | Condition | slightly damaged/cracking or perishing | 2,972,076 | ||
1.1.13 (a) (ii) | Brakes | Mechanical brake components | Brake linings and pads | Brake pads | wearing thin | 2,753,921 |
1.1.11 (c) | Brakes | Rigid brake pipes | corroded, covered in grease or other material | 2,024,556 | ||
5.3.4 (a) (i) | Suspension | Suspension arms | Pins and bushes | pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement | 1,904,764 | |
8.4.1 (a) (i) | Noise, emissions and leaks | Fluid leaks | Engine oil leaks | leak, but not excessive | 1,274,137 | |
5.3.1 (b) (i) | Suspension | Springs | Coil springs | Coil spring | corroded | 1,000,329 |
5.3.2 (b) | Suspension | Shock absorbers | light misting of oil or has limited damping effect | 972,232 | ||
n/a | Non-component advisories | Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt | 855,374 |
In 2020 what were the top 10 reasons for MOT failures?
Class 3 & 4: Cars and light vans up to 3,000kg
Overall | Dangerous | Major | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Defect category | % of tests | % of defects | % of tests | % of defects | % of tests | % of defects | |||
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 12.8399% | 26.3647% | 0.1984% | 1.6244% | 12.7297% | 31.2259% | |||
Suspension | 9.1654% | 18.1388% | 0.5493% | 5.1792% | 8.8428% | 20.6852% | |||
Brakes | 7.7138% | 17.1004% | 2.9399% | 29.1846% | 5.7837% | 14.7260% | |||
Tyres | 6.7748% | 12.3574% | 5.3487% | 59.5508% | 1.7049% | 3.0845% | |||
Visibility | 5.2299% | 8.4583% | 0.0206% | 0.1641% | 5.2157% | 10.0880% | |||
Body, chassis, structure | 3.9149% | 6.5407% | 0.2351% | 2.0965% | 3.7518% | 7.4139% | |||
Noise, emissions and leaks | 3.1435% | 5.1777% | 0.0478% | 0.3816% | 3.1158% | 6.1200% | |||
Steering | 1.8181% | 2.8026% | 0.1124% | 0.9662% | 1.7285% | 3.1634% | |||
Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 1.1679% | 1.7848% | 0.0319% | 0.2783% | 1.1403% | 2.0808% | |||
Identification of the vehicle | 0.4180% | 0.6685% | 0.0000% | 0.0000% | 0.4180% | 0.7998% | |||
Road Wheels | 0.3285% | 0.5839% | 0.0618% | 0.5713% | 0.2705% | 0.5864% | |||
Buses and coaches supplementary tests | 0.0017% | 0.0025% | 0.0003% | 0.0026% | 0.0015% | 0.0025% | |||
Seat belt installation check | 0.0076% | 0.0109% | 0.0000% | 0.0000% | 0.0076% | 0.0130% | |||
Speedometer and speed limiter | 0.0064% | 0.0087% | 0.0000% | 0.0000% | 0.0064% | 0.0104% | |||
Motorcycle brakes | 0.0000% | 0.0000% | 0.0000% | 0.0000% | 0.0000% | 0.0000% | |||
Motorcycle lamps and reflectors | 0.0000% | 0.0000% | 0.0000% | 0.0000% | 0.0000% | 0.0001% | |||
Motorcycle tyres | 0.0000% | 0.0000% | 0.0000% | 0.0001% | 0.0000% | 0.0000% | |||
Overall Initial Failure Rate | 30.5% | 8.7% | 21.8% | ||||||
Average defects per Initial Test Failure | 2.53 | 0.42 | 2.11 |
Data notes for top 10 reasons for MOT failures
- All figures are for vehicles as initially presented for test (Failure and PRS type Reason for Rejections are included).
- A failed test commonly has multiple failure items.
- % of tests = Number of tests with one or more failure items in defect category / total tests.
- % of defects = Total defects in category / Total defects for all categories.
- Average defects per Initial Test Failure = Total failure items / (Total tests with Fail result + Total tests with PRS result).
- Overall Volumes for 2020 have been impacted by the Expiry extension exercise. Test were at a lower level April-July, and rose monthly levels higher than in previous years thereafter.
In 2020 how many MOT tests were carried out in total?
Failures with at least one Dangerous item | Failures without any Dangerous items | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Financial Year | Class | Tests | PRS | Fails | Initial Fail Rate | Final Fail Rate | Failures | Initial Fail Rate | Failures | Initial Fail Rate | ||
January-December 2020 | Classes 1 & 2: Motorcycles | 823,856 | 55,900 | 75,257 | 15.9% | 9.1% | 40,193 | 4.9% | 90,964 | 11.0% | ||
Classes 3 & 4: Cars, vans and passenger vehicles with up to 12 seats | 29,427,588 | 2,001,372 | 6,967,900 | 30.5% | 23.7% | 2,558,594 | 8.7% | 6,410,678 | 21.8% | |||
Class 5: Private passenger vehicles with more than 12 seats | 41,503 | 2,038 | 8,916 | 26.4% | 21.5% | 2,525 | 6.1% | 8,429 | 20.3% | |||
Class 7: Goods vehicles between 3,000 and 3,500 kg gross vehicle weight | 762,809 | 58,500 | 236,900 | 38.7% | 31.1% | 92,015 | 12.1% | 203,385 | 26.7% | |||
Total | 31,055,756 | 2,117,810 | 7,288,973 | 30.3% | 23.5% | 2,693,327 | 8.7% | 6,713,456 | 21.6% |
Data notes for in 2020 how many MOT tests were carried out in total?
Due to the Coronavirus pandemic and the beginning of Lockdown, on 25th March 2020 the DfT announced an MOT expiry extension programme, to take effect from 30th March 2020.
Whilst testing continued through the following months at a lower level, and started back towards normal levels later in the year, there was already a small reduction in test volumes prior to the announcement, likely due to some VTS ceasing testing, and to some vehicle owners having already decided to not to leave home, so no longer travelling.
More information about this data
How was this information obtained?
We made a freedom of information request to the DVSA. So, the information in this blog post came from the DVSA.
How to check the MOT history/status of your vehicle
We offer a free MOT check tool and also include MOT data in our initial check, this data comes from the DVSA MOT API.
Got a question?
Feel free to get in touch via email: enquiries@rapidcarcheck.co.uk