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MOT failure item explained

“Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively”

Recorded on 3,286 of the 25,257 cars checked on this site. It is a failure item. In 36% of cases it was put right during the test.

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Cars with it
3,286
of 25,257 checked
Share of cars
13%
at least once
Recorded as
Fail
64% of 3,843 visits
Back next time
1.9%
of 3,268 follow-up visits

What it means

During the test the wipers are run with the washers. This entry means a wiper left the driver's view smeared or missed part of the screen. That is a failure until it clears properly.

A pass recorded shortly after the failed test shows the retest was done.

How it shows up in the records

Fail 64%Fail, put right during the test 36%Fail, marked dangerous 0.1%
1.9% came back
The same entry, on the same part of the car, was recorded again at the next test in 1.9% of cases.
38,205 miles
Median recorded mileage when it first appeared, on cars a median of 5 years old. From the 1,009 cars whose whole MOT history is recent enough to compare.

Share of cars with this entry, by year of manufacture

12%1971–7315%1980–8211%1983–8513%1986–8817%1989–9117%1992–9416%1995–9718%1998–0023%2001–0319%2004–0623%2007–0921%2010–1216%2013–1510%2016–186.4%2019–212.5%2022–24

Models where it is recorded most

ModelCars with itShareSame-age cars
Vauxhall Adam11 of 2642%13%
Fiat Punto10 of 2245%20%
Ford Transit Connect20 of 5437%11%
Mitsubishi L20012 of 3238%15%
Peugeot 10715 of 3543%21%
Smart Fortwo8 of 2335%15%
Suzuki Alto9 of 2339%20%
Kia Ceed17 of 5730%12%

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

  • Run the wipers with the washers on. They should clear the screen in one or two sweeps without smearing or juddering.
  • Look at the rubber edge of each blade for splits or missing sections.
  • Confirm the pass that followed the failed test.

Cars checked here with this entry

Other visibility entries explained

Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's viewWindscreen 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.