MOT results 2025 · SO postcode area
MOT results in Southampton, 2025
Cars tested at stations in the SO postcode area, Southampton, had an initial MOT fail 28.0% of the time in 2025 once the age of the cars is allowed for (margin ±0.2 points, 406,854 tests), against 27.7% across Great Britain. That is joint 58th highest of 118 areas. An initial fail is a fail, or a fail fixed at the station.
DVSA records the postcode area of the test station, not of the owner, so this describes where the test took place. It is part of our analysis of every 2025 MOT first test in Great Britain, which has the method, the models and the downloads.
The figures
| Measure | Southampton | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| Tests (class 4 first tests) | 406,854 | 33,210,823 |
| Initial fail rate, age-adjusted | 28.0% ±0.2 | 27.7% |
| Initial fail rate, as tested | 28.9% | 27.7% |
| Initial fail rate, age and mileage adjusted | 28.1% | 27.7% |
| Outright fails (a car fixed at the station counts as a pass), age-adjusted | 22.5% | 22.4% |
| Initial fails fixed and passed at the station | 19.4% | 19.0% |
| Tests with a dangerous defect | 7.1% | 7.3% |
Age-adjusted means the area’s cars are scored at the national rate for their age, so an area with an older fleet is not marked down for it. The age-adjusted national figure is the national rate itself.
How Southampton compares
- Ranked on the age-adjusted initial fail rate, Southampton is joint 58th highest of 118 areas. The highest rate is 38.6% (Kirkcaldy (Fife) and Dundee) and the lowest is 20.3% (Sutton). The rate here is 1.4 times the rate in Sutton.
- Of every 100 initial fails here, about 19 were fixed and passed at the station; across Great Britain it was about 19.
Areas with the closest rates
| Postcode area | Initial fail rate, age-adjusted | Fixed at the station | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Llandudno (LL) | 28.2% | 16.0% | 317,462 |
| Watford (WD) | 28.2% | 14.0% | 131,737 |
| Newcastle (NE) | 28.1% | 18.3% | 556,808 |
| Southampton (SO) | 28.0% | 19.4% | 406,854 |
| Walsall (WS) | 28.0% | 20.8% | 238,979 |
| Preston (PR) | 27.9% | 19.3% | 305,312 |
| Doncaster (DN) | 27.8% | 17.4% | 433,684 |
What fails here
The most common failure category at stations in Southampton is lamps, reflectors and electrical: 12.0% of tests had a defect in it, against 10.6% across Great Britain. No category runs more than a quarter above what cars of the same age and mileage would show, so there is no standout reason here. 7.1% of tests had a dangerous defect, against 7.3% nationally.
| Defect group | Southampton | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical | 12.0% | 10.6% |
| Suspension | 8.2% | 9.0% |
| Tyres | 7.0% | 6.2% |
| Brakes | 5.7% | 6.2% |
| Visibility | 4.5% | 4.3% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 3.2% | 3.1% |
| Body, chassis and structure | 3.1% | 3.3% |
| Steering | 1.9% | 2.0% |
| Seat belts and SRS | 1.1% | 1.0% |
| Road wheels | 0.4% | 0.4% |
| Identification of the vehicle | 0.3% | 0.3% |
A test counts once in each group however many defects it has there, so the shares add up to more than the fail rate. The models behind the national pattern, and why each fails, are on the main page.
Looking for a car near Southampton?
Used cars for sale in Southampton. Any car's MOT history is on GOV.UK, and our free MOT date checker shows when its next MOT is due.
Method and caveats, in short
Source: DVSA’s MOT anonymised data for all of 2025, every class 4 first test (33,210,823 in Great Britain), Open Government Licence v3.0. Initial fail rate = fail plus pass after rectification at the station, the figure DVSA publishes; outright fail = fail only. The age adjustment is indirect standardisation by age in whole years; the margin is 95%. Full definitions are on the main page.
- The MOT checks safety and emissions items, not the engine, clutch or gearbox, so this is one measure of how each car holds up rather than a full reliability verdict.
- A figure describes a model (or an area), not any one car. Two cars of the same model, age and mileage can be in completely different condition, so check the car in front of you.
- The analysis is observational. It shows that two groups differ, not why. Where the page offers a possible reason it says so, and it is a possibility.
- Regional differences may reflect how and where testing is done as well as the cars: whether a station repairs on site, the mix of stations and who books where. The figures describe where the test took place, not who owns the car.
Cite, licence and press contact
Cite as
Autoza analysis of DVSA MOT anonymised data, 2025 (autoza.co.uk/research/mot-2025/so-southampton)
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Open Government Licence v3.0. The analysis is Autoza’s and is licensed CC BY 4.0: you are welcome to quote and reproduce these figures with the credit above.
A permanent copy of the tables is archived on Zenodo: DOI 10.5281/zenodo.23601275.
Press contact: Simon Creedon, founder, info@autoza.co.uk. We can talk through the method, supply a figure for a local area, and correct anything that is wrong; manufacturers and garages named here can reach us at the same address. The press kit has brand assets.
Data for every area: mot-2025-area-table.csv.