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MOT failure item explained

“Engine MIL inoperative or indicates a malfunction”

Recorded on 999 of the 25,257 cars checked on this site. It is a failure item.

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Cars with it
999
of 25,257 checked
Share of cars
4.0%
at least once
Recorded as
Fail
84% of 1,300 visits
Back next time
19%
of 1,001 follow-up visits

What it means

The MIL is the engine warning light on the dashboard. Since May 2018 the test checks it on petrol cars first used from 1 July 2003 and diesel cars first used from 1 July 2008. This entry means the light either did not come on with the ignition, or stayed on with the engine running to show a fault.

It is a major defect, so the car fails until the light works and no longer shows a fault.

How it shows up in the records

Fail 84%Fail, put right during the test 16%
19% came back
The same entry, on the same part of the car, was recorded again at the next test in 19% of cases.
61,038 miles
Median recorded mileage when it first appeared, on cars a median of 7 years old. From the 369 cars whose whole MOT history is recent enough to compare.

Share of cars with this entry, by year of manufacture

0.0%1971–730.0%1980–820.0%1983–850.0%1986–880.3%1989–910.4%1992–940.2%1995–970.3%1998–004.3%2001–038.1%2004–067.9%2007–097.0%2010–125.2%2013–154.3%2016–181.9%2019–210.4%2022–24

Models where it is recorded most

ModelCars with itShareSame-age cars
Ford Transit Connect10 of 5419%4.0%
Vauxhall Zafira9 of 4719%5.6%
Vauxhall Vivaro13 of 8216%3.5%
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter11 of 7714%3.5%
Volkswagen Caddy7 of 4815%4.9%
Renault Trafic7 of 5114%4.2%
Audi A411 of 9112%4.8%
Vauxhall Insignia8 of 6612%5.2%

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

  • Turn the ignition on. The engine warning light should come on, then go out once the engine is running.
  • Confirm the pass that followed the failed test, and ask for the invoice or diagnostic report.
  • Look through the later tests for the same failure coming back.

Cars checked here with this entry

Checking a car with this on its MOT?

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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.