MOT results by fuel

MOT pass rate by fuel type

Across 65,111,717 MOT tests in 2023–2024, hybrid cars passed 85.6%, electric cars passed 84.6%, petrol cars passed 71.9%, diesel cars passed 69.6% of the time (DVSA data). Most of that gap is age: at 3 years old hybrid 89.1%, petrol 88.4%, electric 86.7%, diesel 83.5%. Compared with all cars of the same age and mileage, hybrid cars fail least (0.75×) and petrol cars most (1.03×).

Check what a specific car really costs to own

Data to 2024-12-30 · Page updated 2026-09-28 · Publisher: 73 Auto

Pass rate by fuel

MOT initial pass rate, dangerous-defect rate and average age by fuel
Fuel	Tests	Average age	Pass rate	Dangerous defect	Failures vs same age
Hybrid	2,050,967	5.0 yrs	85.6%	4.3%	0.75×
Electric	573,932	3.6 yrs	84.6%	6.0%	1.03×
Petrol	34,937,909	10.0 yrs	71.9%	7.2%	1.03×
Diesel	27,548,909	9.6 yrs	69.6%	9.0%	0.97×

Failures vs same age: 1.00 = all cars of the same age and mileage band. 73 Auto analysis of DVSA data.

Pass rate by fuel at the same age

MOT initial pass rate by fuel at selected ages
Age	Petrol	Diesel	Hybrid	Electric
3 years	88.4%	83.5%	89.1%	86.7%
5 years	84.0%	81.3%	86.1%	81.9%
7 years	78.3%	76.2%	83.0%	74.9%
10 years	68.2%	66.5%	78.3%	68.8%
12 years	63.0%	61.4%	72.0%	69.9%
15 years	57.1%	57.2%	69.4%	–

A dash means fewer than 1,000 tests of that fuel at that age.

By fuel

Petrol car MOT pass rates · 332 models ranked
Diesel car MOT pass rates · 302 models ranked
Hybrid car MOT pass rates · 55 models ranked
Electric car MOT pass rates · 28 models ranked

Limitations

Fuel groups differ in age, mileage and who drives them: electric and hybrid cars are younger on average, diesels cover more miles. The same-age comparison removes age and mileage but not use or maintenance. MOT results are not a reliability rating.

Check the MOT history of the car you’re considering

Enter a registration to see its own MOT results, tax and running costs for its fuel. Your first check is free and shows the vehicle summary and its headline ownership cost. The category-by-category breakdown is part of a paid check.

UK number plate or 17-character VIN

Where these figures come from

Anonymised MOT tests and results (2023 and 2024) — Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). Open Government Licence v3.0.

Figures labelled as 73 Auto estimates are our own analysis of these sources, set out in the methodology and data sources. To report a factual error, see corrections.