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MOT minor defect explained

“Registration plate lamp inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources”

Recorded on 1,784 of the 25,257 cars checked on this site. It was recorded as a minor defect 100.0% of the time.

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Cars with it
1,784
of 25,257 checked
Share of cars
7.1%
at least once
Recorded as
Minor defect
100.0% of 2,531 visits
Back next time
20%
of 2,008 follow-up visits

What it means

The number plate at the back of the car must be lit at night. Many cars light it with two or more lamps, or with several light sources in one lamp. This entry means one of them was not working while at least one other still lit the plate.

It is a minor defect, which does not fail the car by itself. When a single lamp, or every lamp, is out, the entry is recorded as a failure instead.

How it shows up in the records

Minor defect 100.0%Advisory 0.0%
20% came back
The same entry, on the same part of the car, was recorded again at the next test in 20% of cases.
71,109 miles
Median recorded mileage when it first appeared, on cars a median of 7 years old. From the 421 cars whose whole MOT history is recent enough to compare.

Share of cars with this entry, by year of manufacture

1.7%1971–732.4%1980–822.4%1983–853.9%1986–884.4%1989–913.7%1992–945.0%1995–972.6%1998–006.7%2001–039.9%2004–0616%2007–0917%2010–1211%2013–154.7%2016–181.8%2019–210.6%2022–24

Models where it is recorded most

ModelCars with itShareSame-age cars
Citroen C428 of 5947%8.7%
Suzuki Alto10 of 2343%15%
Peugeot Partner19 of 5634%6.3%
Citroen Berlingo21 of 6930%7.4%
Hyundai ix357 of 2035%13%
Volkswagen Scirocco7 of 2232%12%
Peugeot 300814 of 6023%4.9%
Peugeot 30818 of 6627%8.9%

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 on the sidelights after dark and look at the rear plate from behind. It should be evenly lit, with no dark half.
  • Ask whether the lamp has been repaired since the test.
  • Where one lamp has failed, look at the condition of the other, and at the holders and lenses for corrosion or damp.
  • Read the later MOT tests for the same entry.

Cars checked here with this entry

Other lighting entries explained

Position lamp not workingHeadlamp aim too lowStop lamp not workingHeadlamp not working on dipped beamHeadlamp aim too highRegistration plate lamp inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lampsHeadlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect

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 22 Sept 2026 · figures as of 4 Oct 2026. All MOT entries explained.