UK MOT statistics: pass rates by age, fuel, colour and month
Every MOT test recorded by DVSA in 2023 to 2025, 97,834,354 of them, analysed. Class 4 cars, normal tests only. Every figure is a straight count from the test records, not an estimate or a survey. You are welcome to quote any of them with a link to this page.
Pass rate by age of car
A three-year-old car passes 87.9% of the time. By ten years old that has fallen to 70.1%, and the decline continues two or three points a year before levelling out around fifteen years, when the cars still being tested are the survivors. Age is the single strongest predictor of an MOT result, stronger than make, model or fuel, which is why the reliability rankings adjust for it.
Pass rate by fuel
Hybrid cars have the best record at 85.7%, diesel the worst at 69.6%. Fuel type is partly a proxy for age: the electric fleet is young, the diesel fleet is older than the petrol one, and diesels are bought for high mileages.
| Fuel | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 72% | 51,956,178 |
| Diesel | 69.6% | 40,280,689 |
| Hybrid | 85.7% | 4,169,935 |
| Electric | 85% | 1,370,273 |
| Other | 71.2% | 57,279 |
Pass rate by colour
Bronze cars pass most often at 76.2%; beige cars least at 65.7%. Colour does not affect a car mechanically. What it reflects is which colours were fashionable in which years, so it is another view of age: silver and beige were the choices of the 2000s, grey and white of the 2010s.
| Colour | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Bronze | 76.2% | 285,482 |
| Orange | 76.1% | 747,932 |
| Grey | 75.5% | 15,940,333 |
| Turquoise | 75.1% | 108,022 |
| Brown | 73.2% | 568,926 |
| White | 72.2% | 18,173,285 |
| Red | 72.1% | 9,878,750 |
| Blue | 72% | 15,394,327 |
| Black | 71.4% | 18,888,218 |
| Yellow | 70.1% | 504,437 |
| Purple | 69.6% | 313,913 |
| Gold | 68.8% | 236,806 |
| Green | 68.2% | 1,588,992 |
| Silver | 67.7% | 14,439,761 |
| Beige | 65.7% | 510,932 |
Busiest months
March is the busiest month for MOTs, with 60% more tests than April, the quietest. The March and September peaks follow the registration plate changes three years earlier. Book early in those months, or take a slot in the quiet ones; the town pages show the same pattern for each postcode area.
What fails most
Lights account for the largest share of failures at 45.3% of failed tests, followed by other at 36.1% and suspension and steering at 34.2%. Most of the top items are things a driver can check at home before the test: Lights are the cheapest category to fail on and the easiest to prevent: walk round the car with every lamp on before you go.
Do advisories turn into failures?
We followed every car from one MOT to the next. When a tester records an advisory on a component, this is how often the same car then fails on that component at its next test. The advisories guide explains what each category means for a used-car buyer.
| Advisory on | Failed on it next time | Advisories followed |
|---|---|---|
| Lights | 36.1% | 1,180,989 |
| Suspension and steering | 22.4% | 9,034,099 |
| Other | 15.8% | 13,015,359 |
| Driveshafts and joints | 11.3% | 52,975 |
| Exhaust and emissions | 10.8% | 1,607,925 |
| Brakes | 10.4% | 12,725,579 |
| Corrosion and structure | 5.3% | 297,590 |
| Tyres | 5.2% | 10,820,459 |
| Fuel and oil leaks | 1.3% | 2,854,002 |
Questions people ask
What percentage of cars fail their MOT in the UK?
28.2% of cars fail first time, from 97,834,354 class 4 tests in 2023 to 2025. The pass rate is 71.8%. Including cars that passed after a defect was fixed on the day, roughly three in ten arrive with something that would fail.
What is the most common MOT failure?
A sidelight not working, recorded on 8.9% of failed tests, followed by tyre tread below the legal minimum (8.4%) and a broken coil spring (8.3%). By category, lights account for 45.3% of failed tests.
What month is busiest for MOTs?
March, with 60% more tests than April, the quietest month. The March and September peaks follow the registration plate changes three years earlier, when the newest cars reach their first test.
Do advisories turn into failures?
Often. Following each car to its next test, 36.1% of cars with a lights advisory failed on that component a year later, 22.4% for suspension and steering, and 1.3% for fuel and oil leaks.
Use these figures
You are welcome to quote any number on this page with a link to it as the source. We hold the same breakdown for every postcode area and every make and model; if you are writing about a particular region or car and need a figure not shown, ask.
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 to 2025. Methodology.