MOT failure rates by model and mileage
At the same 60k to 80k mile odometer reading and matched for age, the 38 most common used cars in Great Britain range from 87.6% of Honda CR-Vs passing the MOT first time to 58.8% of Renault Clios — a spread of 27 percentage points between the best and worst, on cars of the same age carrying the same miles. 24 of the 38 beat the national rate for their age. Counted from 3,393,731 DVSA tests.
Two cars of the same age, carrying the same miles, are not equally likely to sail through an MOT — and the gap between the best and the worst is far wider than most buyers assume. This is the whole table, sorted by how each model does against the national fleet once age is held constant.
What this page does and does not know. DVSA’s test-result data records the model, the odometer reading and whether the car passed. It does not record which part failed. So this page can tell you how often a model fails at a given mileage, but not what failed on it. For that — lamps, brakes, tyres, suspension and how they rank — see what actually fails the MOT, which uses DVSA’s published defect statistics. Those are national, across all cars.
Every model at 60k to 80k miles
One mileage band, so every car is answering the same question. 60k to 80k miles is where most used-car shopping happens and it carries the largest sample in the data. “Vs age-matched” is the column that matters: it compares each model against what the national fleet scores at the same age and the same mileage.
| Model | Passes first time | National, same age | Vs age-matched | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honda CR-Vtypically 10 years old here | 87.6% | 75.5% | +12.2 | |
| MINI Coopertypically 10 years old here | 84.5% | 77.0% | +7.5 | |
| Toyota RAV4typically 9 years old here | 83.7% | 77.0% | +6.7 | |
| BMW 3 Seriestypically 9 years old here | 83.3% | 76.9% | +6.4 | |
| BMW 5 Seriestypically 8 years old here | 84.9% | 78.8% | +6.2 | |
| Volkswagen Passattypically 9 years old here | 84.1% | 78.0% | +6.1 | |
| Volkswagen Golftypically 10 years old here | 82.6% | 76.5% | +6.1 | |
| Range Rover Evoquetypically 9 years old here | 84.5% | 78.3% | +6.1 | |
| Audi A3typically 10 years old here | 82.8% | 76.9% | +6.0 | |
| BMW 1 Seriestypically 10 years old here | 82.2% | 76.6% | +5.7 | |
| Honda Jazztypically 14 years old here | 77.0% | 71.5% | +5.6 | |
| Mercedes-Benz C-Classtypically 9 years old here | 80.8% | 76.5% | +4.4 | |
| Volkswagen Tiguantypically 8 years old here | 83.8% | 79.4% | +4.4 | |
| Ford Kugatypically 9 years old here | 83.1% | 78.8% | +4.3 | |
| Audi A4typically 9 years old here | 81.5% | 77.5% | +4.0 | |
| Mercedes-Benz E-Classtypically 9 years old here | 81.3% | 77.3% | +4.0 | |
| Skoda Octaviatypically 8 years old here | 82.5% | 78.6% | +3.9 | |
| Toyota Yaristypically 13 years old here | 75.7% | 72.9% | +2.8 | |
| Land Rover Discovery Sporttypically 8 years old here | 82.9% | 80.4% | +2.5 | |
| Mercedes-Benz A-Classtypically 8 years old here | 80.2% | 78.3% | +1.9 | |
| SEAT Leontypically 8 years old here | 80.4% | 78.6% | +1.7 | |
| Ford Focustypically 11 years old here | 76.7% | 75.0% | +1.6 | |
| Kia Sportagetypically 9 years old here | 79.7% | 78.6% | +1.1 | |
| Hyundai Tucsontypically 8 years old here | 80.7% | 80.5% | +0.1 | |
| Vauxhall Astratypically 11 years old here | 74.2% | 74.4% | -0.3 | |
| Skoda Fabiatypically 11 years old here | 73.9% | 74.6% | -0.7 | |
| Kia Ceedtypically 10 years old here | 75.3% | 76.6% | -1.3 | |
| Hyundai i30typically 10 years old here | 72.4% | 75.1% | -2.7 | |
| Volkswagen Polotypically 11 years old here | 70.3% | 74.4% | -4.1 | |
| Nissan Qashqaitypically 9 years old here | 73.1% | 77.3% | -4.2 | |
| Ford Fiestatypically 11 years old here | 69.7% | 74.1% | -4.5 | |
| Peugeot 3008typically 8 years old here | 72.8% | 78.5% | -5.6 | |
| Peugeot 208typically 10 years old here | 69.7% | 76.0% | -6.3 | |
| Vauxhall Corsatypically 11 years old here | 67.1% | 74.0% | -6.9 | |
| Nissan Juketypically 10 years old here | 67.8% | 76.1% | -8.3 | |
| Fiat 500typically 12 years old here | 65.0% | 73.6% | -8.6 | |
| Vauxhall Mokkatypically 9 years old here | 67.2% | 77.7% | -10.5 | |
| Renault Cliotypically 12 years old here | 58.8% | 73.7% | -14.9 |
Source: DVSA MOT Anonymised Data 2025 (Open Government Licence v3.0), Open Government Licence v3.0. Great Britain, class 4, cars three years and over. Models shown are those with enough tests in this band to be meaningful.
Why the age-matched column is the only fair one
It is tempting to sort by the raw pass rate and be done. That table would be misleading, because models arrive at 60k to 80k miles at very different ages. A car that takes twelve years to cover 70,000 miles is being asked to survive twelve winters of salt; one that covers the same distance in eight has had four fewer. Rank the raw number and you have largely ranked how slowly each model accumulates miles.
Correcting for it is not a rounding adjustment. Applying age-matching to this data moves one model from slightly below the national rate to comfortably above it, and moves another by more than four points to land exactly at par. Both would have been described wrongly by the raw table.
A low figure is not a warning to walk away
Most first-time failures are consumables — a tyre below the limit, a blown bulb, a torn wiper — and a car that fails, is fixed and passes the same afternoon is perfectly roadworthy. What a below-par number tells you is that cars like this one need more attention at test time than average, so budget for it and read the individual car’s history rather than the model’s reputation.
The single most useful thing you can do with a specific car is look up its own record on GOV.UK’s free MOT history service. It needs the registration, so ask the seller for it. Advisories on the last test predict the next one far better than any model average, because they are about that car.
What these numbers count
Class 4 tests in Great Britain, test type NT (a normal annual test), retests excluded. A pass, or a pass with rectification at the station, counts as a first-time pass; DVSA's own initial-test measure counts a rectified pass as a failure and so reports a lower figure. Odometer readings below 100 or above 400,000 miles are discarded as misreadings, and cars under three years old are excluded because no MOT is yet due. Sampled from nine months of 2025 (January, February, April, May, July, August, September, October and November). Testing in Northern Ireland is run separately by the DVA under its own rules.
These are rates across a fleet of tests, not a probability for any one car. Two cars of the same model, age and mileage can be in completely different condition.
Frequently asked
Which used car has the best MOT pass rate?
Of the 38 models measured at 60k to 80k miles, the Honda CR-V has the highest first-time pass rate at 87.6%, which is +12.2 points against what the national fleet scores at the same age and mileage. The Renault Clio is lowest at 58.8%, -14.9 points against the same benchmark.
Why age-match the comparison instead of just ranking pass rates?
Because inside one mileage band the models are not the same age. A car that is twelve years old by the time it reaches 70,000 miles is being asked a harder question than one that gets there in eight. Ranking the raw rate mostly ranks how long each model takes to cover the distance. Age-matching compares like with like, and it changes the answer — one model in this table moves from below the national rate to above it once it is applied.
Does this tell me what will fail on a particular model?
No. The DVSA test-result data used here records whether a car passed, its odometer reading and its model — not which component failed. For what actually fails, and how often each defect category appears, see our guide to MOT failure categories, which uses DVSA’s published defect statistics. Those are national figures across all cars rather than per model.
Is a low pass rate a reason not to buy a model?
Not on its own. A first-time failure is often a consumable — a tyre, a bulb, a wiper — rather than a serious fault, and a car that fails, is fixed and passes is roadworthy. Treat a below-par figure as a reason to budget for the next test and to read the car’s own MOT history closely, not as a verdict on the model.
Does this cover Northern Ireland?
No. These are Great Britain figures from DVSA. Vehicle testing in Northern Ireland is run by the DVA under its own rules and is not included.