73 Auto Research · MOT statistics
Which car makes fail the MOT most? A ranking adjusted for age and mileage
Allowing for age, mileage and fuel, BMW had the fewest MOT failures of the 21 makes with over a million tests in 2023–24 (ratio 0.76: failed 24% less often than comparable cars) and Renault the most (1.30). Across all 45 makes ranked, from 65,256,444 DVSA MOT tests, the range ran from Bentley (0.36) to SsangYong (1.54).
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT data, 2023-01-01 to 2024-12-30 (n = 65,256,444 tests). Download the data (CSV)
Data to 2024-12-30 · Page updated 2026-09-28 · Publisher: 73 Auto
Key findings
- 73 Auto analysisOf the 21 car makes with over a million MOT tests in 2023–24, BMW cars failed 24% less often than comparable cars of the same age, mileage and fuel (73 Auto analysis of 3,694,719 DVSA tests).
- 73 Auto analysisRenault cars failed 30% more often than comparable cars of the same age, mileage and fuel, the highest of the makes with over a million MOT tests (1,998,608 tests, 2023–24).
- 73 Auto analysisBentley had the lowest adjusted MOT failure ratio of all 45 makes ranked (0.36, 44,444 tests); SsangYong had the highest (1.54, 47,647 tests).
- 73 Auto analysisTesla ranks 5th of 45 makes on raw first-time pass rate (82.8%) but 29th once its cars' young average age (3.5 years) is allowed for.
- 73 Auto analysisSaab climbs from 39th on raw pass rate to 12th of 45 after adjustment: its cars average 16.9 years old at test.
- 73 Auto analysisSsangYong cars had dangerous defects 56% more often than comparable cars at MOT (ratio 1.56), the highest of the 45 makes; Aston Martin the lowest (0.31).
At a glance
| Figure | Value | Basis | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Makes ranked | 45 | 20,000+ tests each | 73 Auto analysis |
| Tests behind the ranking | 65,256,444 | 2023–24 | DVSA data |
| Lowest ratio, 1,000,000+ tests | BMW 0.76 | n = 3,694,719 | 73 Auto analysis |
| Highest ratio, 1,000,000+ tests | Renault 1.30 | n = 1,998,608 | 73 Auto analysis |
73 Auto analysis
Figures 73 Auto derived from the same records: adjusted ratios, intervals and rankings, explained in the method below.
Every make, ranked after adjustment
73 Auto analysisLowest ratio first. The raw pass rate and its rank are DVSA counts; the ratios, their intervals and the adjusted rank are 73 Auto analysis.
| Make | Adjusted rank | Tests | Avg age | First-time pass | Raw rank | Failures vs similar cars | 95% interval | Dangerous vs similar cars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bentley | 1 | 44,444 | 12.6 | 90.8% | 2 | 0.36 | 0.35–0.37 | 0.46 |
| Aston Martin | 2 | 43,571 | 12.3 | 91.4% | 1 | 0.39 | 0.37–0.40 | 0.31 |
| Porsche | 3 | 346,550 | 11.8 | 86.5% | 3 | 0.50 | 0.50–0.51 | 0.51 |
| Lexus | 4 | 324,773 | 9.6 | 83.2% | 4 | 0.70 | 0.70–0.71 | 0.82 |
| BMW | 5 | 3,694,719 | 9.2 | 78.5% | 6 | 0.76 | 0.76–0.76 | 0.91 |
| Subaru | 6 | 120,127 | 13.0 | 73.5% | 20 | 0.76 | 0.76–0.77 | 0.64 |
| Audi | 7 | 3,386,539 | 8.9 | 77.9% | 10 | 0.77 | 0.77–0.77 | 0.88 |
| Land Rover | 8 | 1,857,533 | 10.4 | 76.5% | 12 | 0.80 | 0.80–0.80 | 0.80 |
| Jaguar | 9 | 700,050 | 9.6 | 78.3% | 8 | 0.81 | 0.81–0.82 | 0.94 |
| Mercedes-Benz | 10 | 3,425,149 | 9.0 | 76.7% | 11 | 0.86 | 0.86–0.86 | 0.99 |
| Honda | 11 | 1,860,164 | 11.7 | 72.0% | 25 | 0.86 | 0.86–0.86 | 0.91 |
| Saab | 12 | 106,670 | 16.9 | 63.0% | 39 | 0.86 | 0.86–0.87 | 0.88 |
| MINI | 13 | 1,600,610 | 9.4 | 76.2% | 14 | 0.86 | 0.86–0.87 | 0.87 |
| Skoda | 14 | 1,551,957 | 8.3 | 76.4% | 13 | 0.89 | 0.89–0.89 | 0.85 |
| Volvo | 15 | 1,161,658 | 9.3 | 73.6% | 19 | 0.93 | 0.92–0.93 | 1.06 |
| Volkswagen | 16 | 6,099,386 | 10.0 | 72.1% | 23 | 0.94 | 0.93–0.94 | 0.89 |
| Toyota | 17 | 3,315,375 | 10.3 | 74.0% | 15 | 0.94 | 0.94–0.94 | 0.86 |
| Mazda | 18 | 1,069,099 | 10.2 | 72.1% | 24 | 0.96 | 0.96–0.96 | 0.99 |
| London Taxis International | 19 | 28,414 | 10.4 | 62.6% | 41 | 0.99 | 0.97–1.01 | 0.71 |
| Mitsubishi | 20 | 600,306 | 10.0 | 71.3% | 27 | 1.00 | 0.99–1.00 | 0.91 |
| SEAT | 21 | 1,108,744 | 7.9 | 73.9% | 17 | 1.00 | 1.00–1.00 | 1.07 |
| Daihatsu | 22 | 35,812 | 17.8 | 61.2% | 43 | 1.00 | 0.99–1.02 | 0.96 |
| Suzuki | 23 | 867,737 | 9.6 | 73.1% | 21 | 1.00 | 1.00–1.01 | 0.92 |
| Alfa Romeo | 24 | 146,332 | 11.0 | 67.6% | 34 | 1.02 | 1.01–1.03 | 1.15 |
| Jeep | 25 | 141,400 | 9.0 | 73.9% | 16 | 1.02 | 1.01–1.03 | 0.91 |
| Chrysler | 26 | 37,657 | 14.4 | 60.8% | 44 | 1.03 | 1.02–1.05 | 1.13 |
| Smart | 27 | 177,310 | 10.5 | 71.6% | 26 | 1.06 | 1.05–1.07 | 1.00 |
| Ford | 28 | 8,887,606 | 9.6 | 68.4% | 30 | 1.07 | 1.07–1.07 | 1.08 |
| Tesla | 29 | 129,232 | 3.5 | 82.8% | 5 | 1.07 | 1.06–1.09 | 1.51 |
| Abarth | 30 | 56,475 | 6.6 | 78.4% | 7 | 1.08 | 1.06–1.10 | 1.21 |
| Hyundai | 31 | 1,757,584 | 8.3 | 73.1% | 22 | 1.08 | 1.08–1.09 | 1.13 |
| MG | 32 | 194,955 | 8.8 | 78.2% | 9 | 1.08 | 1.07–1.09 | 1.01 |
| Rover | 33 | 65,602 | 22.5 | 64.0% | 38 | 1.08 | 1.07–1.10 | 1.02 |
| Kia | 34 | 1,822,129 | 7.7 | 73.8% | 18 | 1.09 | 1.09–1.10 | 1.21 |
| Nissan | 35 | 3,269,925 | 9.4 | 68.2% | 31 | 1.13 | 1.12–1.13 | 1.09 |
| Isuzu | 36 | 88,097 | 8.9 | 67.9% | 32 | 1.13 | 1.12–1.15 | 0.79 |
| Vauxhall | 37 | 6,000,257 | 9.8 | 65.6% | 37 | 1.14 | 1.14–1.14 | 1.09 |
| Fiat | 38 | 1,581,922 | 10.1 | 67.9% | 33 | 1.16 | 1.16–1.17 | 1.12 |
| Peugeot | 39 | 2,871,447 | 9.7 | 66.0% | 36 | 1.19 | 1.19–1.19 | 1.05 |
| Citroen | 40 | 2,048,777 | 9.8 | 63.0% | 40 | 1.26 | 1.26–1.26 | 1.14 |
| Chevrolet | 41 | 123,727 | 12.8 | 54.6% | 45 | 1.29 | 1.28–1.30 | 1.32 |
| Renault | 42 | 1,998,608 | 9.9 | 61.9% | 42 | 1.30 | 1.30–1.30 | 1.20 |
| Dacia | 43 | 373,836 | 6.0 | 71.1% | 28 | 1.46 | 1.45–1.47 | 1.11 |
| DS | 44 | 86,532 | 6.0 | 70.5% | 29 | 1.51 | 1.49–1.53 | 1.25 |
| SsangYong | 45 | 47,647 | 6.6 | 67.0% | 35 | 1.54 | 1.52–1.56 | 1.56 |
Makes with over a million tests
73 Auto analysis
| Make | Tests | First-time pass | Failures vs similar cars | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMW | 3,694,719 | 78.5% | 0.76 | failed 24% less often than comparable cars |
| Audi | 3,386,539 | 77.9% | 0.77 | failed 23% less often than comparable cars |
| Land Rover | 1,857,533 | 76.5% | 0.80 | failed 20% less often than comparable cars |
| Mercedes-Benz | 3,425,149 | 76.7% | 0.86 | failed 14% less often than comparable cars |
| Honda | 1,860,164 | 72.0% | 0.86 | failed 14% less often than comparable cars |
| MINI | 1,600,610 | 76.2% | 0.86 | failed 14% less often than comparable cars |
| Skoda | 1,551,957 | 76.4% | 0.89 | failed 11% less often than comparable cars |
| Volvo | 1,161,658 | 73.6% | 0.93 | failed 7% less often than comparable cars |
| Volkswagen | 6,099,386 | 72.1% | 0.94 | failed 6% less often than comparable cars |
| Toyota | 3,315,375 | 74.0% | 0.94 | failed 6% less often than comparable cars |
| Mazda | 1,069,099 | 72.1% | 0.96 | failed about as often as comparable cars |
| SEAT | 1,108,744 | 73.9% | 1.00 | failed about as often as comparable cars |
| Ford | 8,887,606 | 68.4% | 1.07 | failed 7% more often than comparable cars |
| Hyundai | 1,757,584 | 73.1% | 1.08 | failed 8% more often than comparable cars |
| Kia | 1,822,129 | 73.8% | 1.09 | failed 9% more often than comparable cars |
| Nissan | 3,269,925 | 68.2% | 1.13 | failed 13% more often than comparable cars |
| Vauxhall | 6,000,257 | 65.6% | 1.14 | failed 14% more often than comparable cars |
| Fiat | 1,581,922 | 67.9% | 1.16 | failed 16% more often than comparable cars |
| Peugeot | 2,871,447 | 66.0% | 1.19 | failed 19% more often than comparable cars |
| Citroen | 2,048,777 | 63.0% | 1.26 | failed 26% more often than comparable cars |
| Renault | 1,998,608 | 61.9% | 1.30 | failed 30% more often than comparable cars |
Dangerous defects by make, adjusted
73 Auto analysisThe five lowest and five highest adjusted ratios.
| Make | Tests | Dangerous-defect rate | Dangerous vs similar cars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aston Martin | 43,571 | 1.5% | 0.31 |
| Bentley | 44,444 | 2.6% | 0.46 |
| Porsche | 346,550 | 3.4% | 0.51 |
| Subaru | 120,127 | 5.7% | 0.64 |
| London Taxis International | 28,414 | 7.9% | 0.71 |
| Kia | 1,822,129 | 8.2% | 1.21 |
| DS | 86,532 | 7.5% | 1.25 |
| Chevrolet | 123,727 | 11.3% | 1.32 |
| Tesla | 129,232 | 10.3% | 1.51 |
| SsangYong | 47,647 | 10.2% | 1.56 |
Method
Source: DVSA's anonymised MOT tests and results for 2023-01-01 to 2024-12-30, published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. 73 Auto counted every record itself; no figure is taken from a secondary report.
Scope: class 4 vehicles (cars and light vans), normal tests only (retests excluded), vehicles at least 2.5 years old at test, whose make matches 73 Auto's vehicle catalogue: 65,477,892 tests in 2023–24.
First-time pass rate: the share of normal tests with the result Pass. A test where a defect was fixed at the station and the car passed the same day (PRS, pass after rectification) counts as an initial fail, as DVSA counts it.
Failure areas and items: a test counts once for an area or item if it had at least one fail-level (Major or Dangerous, or pre-2018 fail) defect in it, however many locations were affected. Advisories and minor defects are not failures.
Adjusted ratio (observed ÷ expected, O/E): indirect standardisation. Each test is given the national failure rate for tests of the same age in whole years, mileage band and fuel; summing those gives the failures a group would have had if it failed like the average comparable car. O/E = actual failures ÷ expected failures, so 1.00 is average for comparable cars and 0.80 means 20% fewer failures. It removes most of the effect of an older or higher-mileage fleet, not differences in how cars are looked after.
Raw rank orders makes by first-time pass rate; adjusted rank by the failure ratio. The difference between the two is mostly fleet age: a make whose cars are young passes more tests whatever its cars are like.
Publication test: At least 20 makes with 20,000+ tests and at least one model with a /mot-reliability page. Makes ranked: 45 (minimum 20).
Limitations
An MOT result records a car's condition on test day. Servicing, owners' habits, annual mileage and where the car is driven all affect it, so a low failure rate is not proof of mechanical reliability or build quality.
A make's ratio mixes all its models and years; the make pages break it down.
Low-volume premium makes (sports and luxury cars) tend to be low-mileage, garage-kept second cars, which the adjustment for mileage band only partly captures.
Citing this study
Cite as: 73 Auto, “Which car makes fail the MOT most? A ranking adjusted for age and mileage”, 2026-09-28, https://73auto.com/research/mot-failures-by-car-make. Based on DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, Open Government Licence v3.0. The data behind every table is free to reuse with attribution.
More MOT studies
- UK MOT statistics 2023–24 · 28.5% of UK MOT tests in 2023–24 did not pass first time: 18,656,905 of 65,477,892 tests (DVSA data).
- The cars that fail the MOT least and most, class by class · Of 190 models with 20,000+ MOT tests, the BMW M3 had the lowest failure ratio against cars of the same age, mileage and fuel (0.41, 31,544 tests, 2023–24).
- How MOT pass rates fall with age and mileage · 87.1% of 3-year-old cars passed their first MOT first time in 2023–24, against 67.5% of 10-year-old cars (DVSA data, 3,907,416 and 4,163,623 tests).
- The most common reasons cars fail the MOT · The most common reason for failing an MOT in 2023–24 was “Position lamp: not working”, found on 2.6% of all tests (1,684,901 tests, DVSA data).
- Which MOT failures rise most as cars get older · Steering failures rise the most with age: 0.13% of MOT tests on 3-year-old cars against 3.4% at 15 years, 26 times as often (DVSA data, 2023–24).
- MOT failure rates by test area: brakes, tyres, lights and more compared · Lights, reflectors and electrical is the MOT area cars fail on most: 11.2% of all tests and 39.1% of failed tests (2023–24, DVSA data).
- Dangerous MOT defects: how many cars have them and what they are · 5,141,819 MOT tests in 2023–24 found at least one dangerous defect: 7.9% of all tests, about 1 in 13 (DVSA data).
- Petrol vs diesel vs hybrid: MOT pass rates compared · At ages 3–10, 85.6% of hybrid MOT tests passed first time, against 79.6% for petrol and 75.5% for diesel (DVSA data, 2023–24).
- Electric car MOT statistics: how EVs compare with petrol and diesel · 83.5% of MOT tests on electric cars aged 3–10 passed first time in 2023–24, against 79.6% for petrol cars of the same ages (DVSA data, 330,180 EV tests).
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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.