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MOT failure item explained

“Tyre has a bulge caused by separation or partial failure of its structure”

Recorded on 1,327 of the 25,257 cars checked on this site. It is a failure item. In 82% of cases here it was marked dangerous.

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Cars with it
1,327
of 25,257 checked
Share of cars
5.3%
at least once
Recorded as
Dangerous
82% of 1,412 visits
Back next time
0.4%
of 1,152 follow-up visits

What it means

A bulge or tear in a tyre means the layers inside it have separated or partly failed, so the tyre could fail without warning. Both wordings, bulge and tear, are counted on this page.

Under the current rules that is a dangerous defect, and the car cannot pass until the tyre has 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 82%Fail 18%Fail, put right during the test 0.6%
0.4% came back
The same entry, on the same part of the car, was recorded again at the next test in 0.4% of cases.
39,402 miles
Median recorded mileage when it first appeared, on cars a median of 6 years old. From the 444 cars whose whole MOT history is recent enough to compare.

Share of cars with this entry, by year of manufacture

6.9%1971–733.7%1980–823.9%1983–850.9%1986–883.8%1989–912.9%1992–943.4%1995–972.9%1998–008.0%2001–038.1%2004–069.3%2007–099.4%2010–127.1%2013–154.7%2016–182.7%2019–211.0%2022–24

Models where it is recorded most

ModelCars with itShareSame-age cars
Aston Martin DB719 of 11017%5.7%
Peugeot 1077 of 3520%9.0%
Renault Megane6 of 3716%6.2%
Mazda MX-514 of 8417%6.7%
Mercedes-Benz B-class8 of 5116%6.2%
BMW 4 Series9 of 6414%4.7%
Mercedes-Benz E-class14 of 9714%5.6%
Citroen C17 of 4715%6.7%

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

  • Look at both sidewalls of every tyre, including the inner sidewalls, for any lump, bulge or split.
  • Ask for the invoice for the replacement tyre and check its date against the test.
  • Look at the wheel rim on the same corner for dents or kerb damage.
  • Read the later MOT tests for tyre entries on the same corner.

Cars checked here with this entry

Other tyres entries explained

Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edgeTyre slightly damaged/cracking or perishingTyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mmTyre has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cordsTyre has ply or cords exposedTyre has a cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords

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.