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From real MOT records

What percentage of cars fail their MOT, by age

The share of first MOT attempts that failed, by the car’s age at the test, among the cars checked on this site. A retest within 28 days of a fail belongs to the same visit and is not counted as a new attempt. Built from 192,563 first attempts, recalculated daily.

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Failed at the first attempt

Age at testFailedTests
3 years12%
2,708 of 21,848
4 years14%
2,767 of 19,831
5 years16%
2,979 of 18,582
6 years17%
3,065 of 17,547
7 years20%
3,307 of 16,470
8 years22%
3,298 of 15,028
9 years23%
3,174 of 13,587
10 years26%
3,121 of 12,067
11 years26%
2,737 of 10,371
12 years28%
2,506 of 8,975
13 years30%
2,263 of 7,652
14 years29%
1,894 of 6,504
15 years29%
1,637 of 5,626
16 years28%
1,364 of 4,857
17 years28%
1,160 of 4,203
18 years29%
1,051 of 3,661
19 years27%
845 of 3,146
20 years25%
659 of 2,608

Cars checked on this site are ones people were about to buy, so the mix differs from all cars on the road. The government publishes national MOT statistics for the whole fleet.

What the pattern means for a buyer

  • The first MOT at three years fails least often, and the rate climbs every year after that as tyres, brakes, suspension and lamps wear.
  • A car older than ten years has a real chance of failing each year, so read its whole MOT history rather than only the current certificate.
  • Look at what failed and how quickly it was put right. The advisory and failure explainers tell you what each wording means and how often it comes back at the next test.
  • Mileage matters as much as age: the average mileage by age page shows what is normal for each year.

Questions

What percentage of cars fail their MOT?+
Across the cars checked on this site, 21% of first attempts failed. The rate rises with age: 12% of tests on 3-year-old cars, 26% at 10 years and 29% at 15 years. These are cars people were about to buy, so the mix is older and more worn than all cars on the road, and the national figures published by the government are a little lower.
Does a failed MOT in the history matter?+
It depends what failed and whether it was put right. Most fails are single items such as a bulb, a tyre or a wiper blade, fixed the same day. A fail for corrosion, brakes or steering, or the same item failing at several tests, is worth more attention. The MOT advisories explained pages describe each wording and how often it comes back.
How is a retest counted?+
A car that fails and passes a retest within 28 days has made one visit, counted here as one failed attempt. The retest itself is not counted as a new test, so a car cannot improve the figures by failing and passing on the same day.
Where do these figures come from?+
From the MOT histories of the cars people have checked on this site, recalculated daily. Age is the car’s age at the test in whole years from its year of manufacture. Ages with fewer than 40 tests are not shown.

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Updated 22 Sept 2026 · figures as of 4 Oct 2026. Also see MOT advisories explained and cars by make.