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MOT failure item explained

“Brake pad(s) less than 1.5 mm thick”

Recorded on 2,184 of the 25,257 cars checked on this site. It is a failure item. In 78% of cases here it was marked dangerous.

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Cars with it
2,184
of 25,257 checked
Share of cars
8.6%
at least once
Recorded as
Dangerous
78% of 2,432 visits
Back next time
0.7%
of 2,021 follow-up visits

What it means

The tester measured a brake pad with less than 1.5 mm of friction material left. Under the current rules that is a dangerous defect, and records from before May 2018 show it as a fail. The car cannot pass until the pads have been replaced.

A pass recorded shortly after the failed test shows the retest was done.

How it shows up in the records

Fail, marked dangerous 78%Fail 20%Fail, put right during the test 1.7%
0.7% came back
The same entry, on the same part of the car, was recorded again at the next test in 0.7% of cases.
52,066 miles
Median recorded mileage when it first appeared, on cars a median of 6 years old. From the 766 cars whose whole MOT history is recent enough to compare.

Share of cars with this entry, by year of manufacture

1.7%1971–731.2%1980–823.1%1983–852.2%1986–885.3%1989–914.1%1992–945.9%1995–974.8%1998–008.8%2001–0311%2004–0615%2007–0916%2010–1213%2013–158.8%2016–184.0%2019–211.0%2022–24

Models where it is recorded most

ModelCars with itShareSame-age cars
Renault Trafic14 of 5127%8.6%
Vauxhall Insignia20 of 6630%12%
Renault Megane10 of 3727%11%
Ford Transit Connect13 of 5424%8.4%
Hyundai Tucson20 of 9322%5.9%
Vauxhall Zafira13 of 4728%12%
Peugeot 30817 of 6626%11%
Nissan X-Trail9 of 3923%8.4%

Models with 20 or more cars checked here. “Same-age cars” is the share among all checked cars built in the same years, so an older model is compared with older cars.

What to check before you buy

  • Find the failed test and the pass that followed it, and ask for the invoice for the work.
  • Ask whether the discs were replaced at the same time as the pads.
  • Look at the earlier tests for a 'wearing thin' advisory on the same axle, and note its date.
  • Check the pads and discs through the wheels yourself.

Cars checked here with this entry

Other brakes entries explained

Brake pad(s) wearing thinBrake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakenedBrake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other materialParking brake efficiency below requirementsBrake disc worn, but not excessivelyService brake binding but not excessivelyService brake excessively bindingBrakes imbalanced across an axleService brake fluctuating but not excessively

Checking a car with this on its MOT?

Repair costs depend on the car, so this page does not quote one. Enter the plate and the free report estimates them for that car, alongside every test and advisory on its record.

Check a car’s MOT history

Counts are of cars checked on this site, from official public records. Updated 19 Sept 2026 · figures as of 4 Oct 2026. All MOT entries explained.