One in five tests ends in failure
Almost ten million MOT tests ended in failure last year, more than a fifth of all those carried out.
Thousands of those failed tests were taken by vehicles that had a dozen or more fail-worthy faults.
When a vehicle fails an MOT test it can be for more than one fault.
Faults are categorised as being either dangerous or major. If a dangerous fault is found the vehicle cannot be driven or ridden away from the test centre.
In 2023, a 1997 Daihatsu Fourtrak was presented for an MOT with what turned out to be 29 separate faults each of which would have resulted in a fail.
Eleven of the 29 faults were classed as dangerous.
Last year, a total of 30 vehicles – including the Daihatsu – failed at least one MOT test with 24 or more faults each of which warranted a fail.
More widely, 13,785 vehicles failed at least one test with 12 or more faults.
In 2023, 43,678,099 vehicle MOT tests were carried out in Great Britain of which 9,873,386 (22.6%) ended in a failure.
The figures are revealed by RAC Foundation analysis of the Government’s MOT database.
In this study ‘vehicle’ means cars, vans, minibuses, motorcycles and mopeds, but not HGVs, buses or coaches.
Amongst the 9,873,386 failed tests, recorded faults fell into these most common categories:
- Axles, wheels, tyres and suspension
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
- Brakes
- Visibility
- Body, structure and attachments
At the other end of the scale, tests were failed for individual reasons as obscure and alarming as:
- Nearside front brake disc missing (31 tests)
- Steering lock inadvertently engaging (64)
- Spare wheel likely to become detached (186)
- Bonnet seriously at risk of opening inadvertently (1,667)
- Exhaust emits excessive smoke or vapour likely to obscure the vision of other road users (6,043)
The five types of failure listed immediately above were all deemed to be dangerous.
The research shows that the vehicle which took the most tests (11) in 2023 was a Toyota.
In all, 848 vehicles took 6 tests or more in that year.
Cars in Great Britain are usually first presented for an MOT after three years on the road, then annually thereafter until they are 40.
The law allows garages to charge an MOT fee of up to £54.85 for a car and £29.65 for a standard motorcycle.
When a problem is found during an MOT test it can be classed in one of four ways:
| Dangerous | A direct and immediate risk to road safety or has a serious impact on the environment. Do not drive the vehicle until it’s been repaired. |
Fail |
| Major | It may affect the vehicle’s safety, put other road users at risk or have an impact on the environment. Repair it immediately. |
Fail |
| Minor | No significant effect on the safety of the vehicle or impact on the environment. Repair as soon as possible. |
Pass |
| Advisory | It could become more serious in the future. Monitor and repair it if necessary. |
Pass |
Looking back over time the MOT pass rate has actually improved in recent years, possibly due to the better construction of vehicles, particularly the bodywork which is less prone to rust and hence structural failure.
| Year | Total_tests | Passes | Fails | Percentage of passes |
| 2010 | 38,520,363 | 27,426,538 | 11,093,825 | 71.2 |
| 2011 | 39,307,285 | 27,982,453 | 11,324,832 | 71.2 |
| 2012 | 39,309,906 | 28,029,188 | 11,280,718 | 71.3 |
| 2013 | 39,798,068 | 28,348,702 | 11,449,366 | 71.2 |
| 2014 | 39,892,809 | 28,647,583 | 11,245,226 | 71.8 |
| 2015 | 39,884,680 | 28,974,792 | 10,909,888 | 72.6 |
| 2016 | 40,089,401 | 29,390,350 | 10,699,051 | 73.3 |
| 2017 | 40,354,189 | 29,830,054 | 10,524,135 | 73.9 |
| 2018 | 40,837,747 | 30,356,144 | 10,481,603 | 74.3 |
| 2019 | 41,401,362 | 31,199,374 | 10,201,988 | 75.4 |
| 2020 | 40,498,439 | 31,086,252 | 9,412,187 | 76.8 |
| 2021 | 42,286,257 | 32,529,632 | 9,756,625 | 76.9 |
| 2022 | 43,483,554 | 33,688,659 | 9,794,895 | 77.5 |
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said:
“Vehicles can fail an MOT for more than 600 different reasons. Some of these might well be difficult for owners to spot ahead of time but what’s concerning is that drivers are taking cars for a test with such obvious defects as missing brakes.
“It might be that some people are taking a car to be tested just to check quite how many things will need to be fixed before it will get through, but others look like they are turning up with vehicles displaying faults that are impossible to miss.
“This should be food for thought for those who suggest we don’t need an annual roadworthiness check – what’s really worrying is how many people might be taking a chance by continuing to drive cars with potentially lethal faults just because their next MOT isn’t yet due.”
ENDS
Contact:
Philip Gomm – Head of External Communications – RAC Foundation
[email protected] | 07711 776448
Notes to editors:
The RAC Foundation is a transport policy and research organisation which explores the economic, mobility, safety and environmental issues relating to roads and their users.
The Foundation publishes independent and authoritative research with which it promotes informed debate and advocates policy in the interest of the responsible motorist. For more information visit www.racfoundation.org