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MOT minor defect explained

“Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view”

Recorded on 1,539 of the 25,257 cars checked on this site. It was recorded as a minor defect 99.9% of the time.

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Cars with it
1,539
of 25,257 checked
Share of cars
6.1%
at least once
Recorded as
Minor defect
99.9% of 2,488 visits
Back next time
35%
of 1,959 follow-up visits

What it means

This entry means the tester found a chip or crack in the windscreen that was either small enough, or far enough from the driver's line of sight, not to fail. It is a minor defect, which does not fail the car by itself.

Damage over 10 mm in the area directly in front of the driver, or over 40 mm elsewhere in the area swept by the wipers, is a failure.

How it shows up in the records

Minor defect 99.9%Advisory 0.1%
35% came back
The same entry, on the same part of the car, was recorded again at the next test in 35% of cases.
53,426 miles
Median recorded mileage when it first appeared, on cars a median of 5 years old. From the 682 cars whose whole MOT history is recent enough to compare.

Share of cars with this entry, by year of manufacture

0.0%1971–731.2%1980–823.1%1983–850.9%1986–882.7%1989–912.5%1992–943.2%1995–973.1%1998–006.6%2001–036.6%2004–068.4%2007–098.8%2010–129.1%2013–157.2%2016–184.3%2019–211.8%2022–24

Models where it is recorded most

ModelCars with itShareSame-age cars
Ford Transit Connect15 of 5428%6.2%
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter21 of 7727%5.9%
Peugeot Partner15 of 5627%6.2%
Volkswagen Caddy11 of 4823%7.2%
Mitsubishi L2007 of 3222%7.3%
Vauxhall Vivaro15 of 8218%5.6%
Peugeot Boxer7 of 4018%5.4%
Ford Transit47 of 26917%6.0%

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 damage and measure it. Note where it sits in relation to the driver's seat.
  • Look for signs of a resin repair, and for cracks running out from the chip.
  • Read the later MOT tests to see whether the entry came back or became a failure.
  • Ask whether the screen has been repaired or replaced, and for the invoice.

Cars checked here with this entry

Other visibility entries explained

Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectivelyWindscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquidWindscreen wiper blade defective

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.