MOT failures by make

Jaguar MOT faults: which failures are more common than on similar cars

Across 700,050 MOT tests of Jaguar cars in 2023–2024, 4 of the make's most common failure items stand out against cars of the same age, mileage and fuel, led by “Ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt” at 2.12× the comparable rate. Overall Jaguars passed 78.3% of tests and failed 0.81× as often as comparable cars.

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

Jaguar MOT tests: 700,050; 364,884 cars, 2023–2024
Initial pass rate: 78.3%; DVSA results, retests excluded
Faults that stand out: 4; passed the make × item gate

Failures more common on Jaguars than on similar cars

Each links to the model-by-model and age breakdown for Jaguar.

Ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt · 2.12× · 0.87% of tests

Failures less common on Jaguars

Common failure items where Jaguars do clearly better than comparable cars, beyond the make's overall level.

Coil spring: fractured or broken · 0.46× · 0.94% of tests
Position lamp: not working · 0.48× · 1.03% of tests
Headlamp: not working on dipped beam · 0.62× · 0.77% of tests

Jaguar’s most common MOT failure items

Ranked by how many Jaguar tests failed on each item. The last column compares with cars of the same age, mileage and fuel (1.00 = the same rate).

Jaguar: most common MOT failure items with observed ÷ expected
Defect item	Rank	Tests failing	Share	vs similar cars
Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm	#1	13,900	1.99%	0.86×
Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively	#2	13,428	1.92%	0.93×
Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick	#3	11,674	1.67%	0.91×
Condition: has ply or cords exposed	#4	9,859	1.41%	1.01×
Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords	#5	9,384	1.34%	0.99×
Headlamp aim: too low	#6	7,342	1.05%	0.96×
Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn	#7	7,256	1.04%	1.00×
Position lamp: not working	#8	7,205	1.03%	0.48×
Coil spring: fractured or broken	#9	6,592	0.94%	0.46×
Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction	#10	6,199	0.89%	1.21×
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid	#11	6,124	0.87%	0.66×
Ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt	#12	6,109	0.87%	2.12×
Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps	#13	5,582	0.80%	0.85×
Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength	#14	5,399	0.77%	1.31×
Headlamp: not working on dipped beam	#15	5,389	0.77%	0.62×

Only the 150 most common national MOT failure items are compared; a rank counts every failure item recorded on the make.

How to use this

The list shows what a Jaguar is more likely than other cars to fail on, which is where to look on a pre-MOT check or a used-car inspection. The model pages break the same data down further — see Jaguar MOT pass rates by model.

Limitations

Official data: DVSA anonymised MOT results (2023–2024). 73 Auto analysis: expected failures apply the national rate of each item for the test's age, mileage band and fuel. MOT results reflect maintenance and use as well as design; they do not rank makes by reliability.

Check a Jaguar’s MOT history before you buy

Enter a registration to see which of these faults that particular car has failed or been advised on, and what it costs to run. 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.