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MOT advisory explained

“Service brake binding but not excessively”

Recorded on 1,222 of the 25,257 cars checked on this site. Every time it was an advisory.

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Cars with it
1,222
of 25,257 checked
Share of cars
4.8%
at least once
Recorded as
Advisory
100% of 1,530 visits
Back next time
12%
of 1,236 follow-up visits

What it means

The service brake is the footbrake. During the roller brake test the tester can see whether a brake keeps dragging after the pedal is released. This note means a brake was dragging slightly, but not enough to fail.

It is an advisory, which does not fail the car by itself. A brake that binds excessively is recorded as a failure.

How it shows up in the records

Advisory 100%
12% came back
The same entry, on the same part of the car, was recorded again at the next test in 12% of cases.
57,024 miles
Median recorded mileage when it first appeared, on cars a median of 7 years old. From the 250 cars whose whole MOT history is recent enough to compare.

Share of cars with this entry, by year of manufacture

0.0%1971–732.4%1980–824.7%1983–851.3%1986–885.0%1989–913.3%1992–944.3%1995–973.1%1998–005.8%2001–039.2%2004–0611%2007–099.6%2010–127.6%2013–153.1%2016–180.9%2019–210.2%2022–24

Models where it is recorded most

ModelCars with itShareSame-age cars
Mazda MX-523 of 8427%7.1%
Peugeot 2077 of 2330%10%
Volkswagen Up18 of 7524%6.1%
Dacia Sandero19 of 9021%3.9%
Peugeot 1079 of 3526%9.8%
Renault Megane8 of 3722%6.2%
Toyota 867 of 3321%6.4%
Suzuki Alto5 of 2322%9.1%

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

  • After a drive without heavy braking, carefully feel for a wheel that is much hotter than the others. Do not touch the disc itself.
  • Roll the car slowly on a flat surface with the handbrake off and listen for a rubbing noise from one corner.
  • Ask whether the brakes have been serviced since the test, and for the invoice.
  • Read the later MOT tests for the same corner.

Cars checked here with this entry

Other brakes entries explained

Brake pad(s) wearing thinBrake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakenedBrake pad(s) less than 1.5 mm thickBrake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other materialParking brake efficiency below requirementsBrake disc worn, 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 22 Sept 2026 · figures as of 4 Oct 2026. All MOT entries explained.