Edition 1. Figures on GB MOT test failures, based on open DVSA data covering 1 January 2024 through 31 December 2024.
Of the vehicles aged 3-5 years tested in 2024, 13.7% received at least one initial failure item. For vehicles aged 15-19 years, that share is 42.9%. The full tables are below and are free to cite with attribution.
Initial failure rate by age group
Share of MOT tests with at least one initial failure item (retests excluded), by vehicle age at the time of test. Based on the full GB MOT fleet.
Age
Tests
With initial failure
Share
3-5 years
6,130,355
841,819
13.7%
6-8 years
7,803,846
1,594,934
20.4%
9-11 years
7,088,930
2,106,162
29.7%
12-14 years
4,945,258
1,879,024
38.0%
15-19 years
5,094,916
2,185,527
42.9%
Most common defect categories
Share of categorised failure items in this category, weighted across the 261 models Plateop tracks. This is a share of failure items, not the chance that a vehicle fails its MOT: a vehicle can fail for more than one reason at once.
Category
With initial failure
Tests
Share
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
1,640,273
6,561,126
25.0%
Suspension
1,206,732
6,561,126
18.4%
Brakes
1,061,141
6,561,126
16.2%
Tyres
848,626
6,561,126
12.9%
Visibility
362,061
6,561,126
5.5%
Body, chassis, structure
215,636
6,561,126
3.3%
Noise, emissions and leaks
130,233
6,561,126
2.0%
Steering
84,192
6,561,126
1.3%
Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems
3,516
6,561,126
0.1%
Identification of the vehicle
950
6,561,126
0.0%
Road Wheels
469
6,561,126
0.0%
Models with the lowest and highest failure shares
Per age group, the three models with the lowest and the highest initial failure rate. Only models with at least 1,500 tests in that age group are included; small counts produce flukes and are therefore excluded.
3-5 years
Lowest failure share
Model
Tests
Share
Porsche 911
2,021
5.3%
Porsche Macan
11,623
6.6%
Porsche Cayenne
6,690
7.1%
Highest failure share
Model
Tests
Share
Mercedes-Benz Citan
1,823
34.5%
Renault Kangoo
5,359
30.7%
Renault ZOE
2,311
29.5%
6-8 years
Lowest failure share
Model
Tests
Share
Porsche 911
5,729
5.7%
Porsche Boxster
2,256
6.5%
Porsche Macan
13,512
9.2%
Highest failure share
Model
Tests
Share
Renault Kangoo
8,320
40.3%
Citroen Berlingo
39,554
40.1%
Mercedes-Benz Citan
10,255
38.7%
9-11 years
Lowest failure share
Model
Tests
Share
Porsche 911
4,541
6.4%
Porsche Cayman
2,274
7.5%
Porsche Boxster
3,544
8.2%
Highest failure share
Model
Tests
Share
Renault Kangoo
9,660
48.9%
Peugeot 5008
5,745
46.8%
Citroen DS3
44,447
46.5%
12-14 years
Lowest failure share
Model
Tests
Share
Porsche 911
4,126
9.0%
Porsche Cayenne
2,871
18.4%
Audi A7
2,811
19.0%
Highest failure share
Model
Tests
Share
Renault Trafic
15,615
53.5%
Chevrolet Captiva
2,582
53.2%
Renault Clio
56,324
52.9%
First MOT: the 2021 cohort
Vehicles first registered in 2021 reached the legal minimum age for their first MOT this test year. Among models with at least 1,000 tests in that cohort, the ten with the lowest and the ten with the highest initial failure rate:
These models fail their first MOT most often: Citroen Berlingo (28.4%), Peugeot Partner (28.2%) and Ford Galaxy (27.1%).
Lowest failure share
Model
Tests
Share
Porsche Macan
3,319
6.5%
Audi Q2
12,636
6.9%
Mazda CX-30
1,904
7.1%
Porsche Cayenne
1,452
7.2%
Honda Cr-V
5,557
7.6%
Peugeot 108
4,139
7.8%
KIA RIO
2,229
7.9%
Toyota RAV4
9,827
7.9%
Mercedes-Benz GLC
2,964
8.3%
Toyota Aygo
16,911
8.5%
Highest failure share
Model
Tests
Share
Citroen Berlingo
5,368
28.4%
Peugeot Partner
8,035
28.2%
Ford Galaxy
1,327
27.1%
Renault Kangoo
1,120
25.5%
Mercedes-Benz Vito
2,852
18.1%
Ford Ranger
16,194
17.1%
Peugeot 5008
1,013
16.4%
Hyundai Tucson
1,194
16.1%
Dacia Duster
6,019
15.9%
Ford Ecosport
4,449
15.9%
Difference by fuel type
Initial failure rate per fuel type, within the same age group. Only compare within an age group: the fleet differs strongly in age per fuel type.
Fuel
3-5 years
6-8 years
9-11 years
12-14 years
15-19 years
Other
28.7%
29.9%
Petrol
12.6%
19.4%
28.9%
37.5%
42.9%
Diesel
17.3%
22.1%
30.8%
38.8%
43.1%
Electric
13.5%
21.5%
32.1%
31.3%
35.2%
Electric/Diesel
12.5%
19.4%
24.8%
Gas (bi-fuel)
17.2%
Hybrid
10.9%
15.6%
20.9%
27.9%
32.6%
LPG
37.5%
40.8%
37.8%
Method and definitions
Source: DVSA MOT test results, open data, test year 1 January 2024 through 31 December 2024.
A test counts as a test with an initial failure when at least one genuine defect was recorded on the FIRST test of that visit, DVSA's own initial test. A retest is never counted.
The fleet figures per age group come from the full GB MOT fleet, not filtered by make or model.
The category and model figures are measured across the 261 models from 28 makes that Plateop tracks (6,001 data cells). That is broad but not the entire fleet; the fleet figures above are the reference for that.
Models only qualify as outliers with at least 1,500 tests in the age group concerned. Age is the vehicle's age since its first registration date, not its year of manufacture: DVSA records a first use date, never a build year.
DVSA changed its defect category taxonomy in May 2018. This edition's category figures use only test results recorded under the taxonomy that applies to its own test year.
Editions are not changed after publication. This edition was compiled on 2 September 2026.
Year-on-year comparisons appear from the second frozen edition onward: every edition is frozen, so shifts can be demonstrated.
Using these figures
Free to cite with attribution; online, please include a link: