CarBuyerIQ data desk
UK's most and least reliable used cars by MOT data (2004 to 2026)
Every figure below is computed from 6,681,613 official DVSA MOT test records. Last updated 3 September 2026.
Key findings
- Across 6,681,613 DVSA MOT tests from 2004 to March 2026, the UK MOT pass rate was 79.1%, meaning 20.9% of tests ended in a fail.
- The MINI Countryman had the highest MOT pass rate of any model with at least 10,000 tests, at 87.8% across 11,117 tests.
- The Citroen DS3 had the lowest MOT pass rate of any model with at least 10,000 tests, at 70.8% across 18,325 tests.
- Of the 23 makes with at least 50,000 tests, Renault had the lowest pass rate at 74.9% and Audi the highest at 82.8%.
- Brakes (24.8%), tyres (24.7%) and suspension (14.2%) were the areas most often flagged, as a share of all 12,262,947 defects and advisories recorded.
- Fail rates climb with mileage: 13.1% of tests on vehicles with under 40,000 miles ended in a fail, rising to 31.4% at 120,000 miles or more.
- Older vehicles fail more often: vehicles first registered in 2023 failed 11.9% of their MOT tests, against 21.6% for vehicles first registered in 2013.
- The Land Rover Defender recorded the most corrosion items of any model with at least 10,000 tests: 17.5 per 100 tests, 3.1 times the UK average.
- The Land Rover Defender recorded the most brake items of any model with at least 10,000 tests: 71.5 per 100 tests, 1.6 times the UK average.
Most reliable models at MOT
| Rank | Model | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MINI Countryman | 87.8% | 11,117 |
| 2 | Porsche 911 | 87.3% | 12,936 |
| 3 | MINI Cooper S | 86.5% | 11,099 |
| 4 | MINI Cooper | 86.4% | 27,437 |
| 5 | Audi Q3 | 86.1% | 16,150 |
| 6 | Audi Q5 | 86% | 16,682 |
| 7 | BMW X1 | 85.4% | 15,641 |
| 8 | Volkswagen up! | 84.6% | 20,016 |
| 9 | Land Rover Range Rover Evoque | 84.5% | 24,694 |
| 10 | Hyundai Tucson | 84.5% | 12,979 |
Least reliable models at MOT
| Rank | Model | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Citroen DS3 | 70.8% | 18,325 |
| 2 | Renault Megane | 71.6% | 22,758 |
| 3 | Renault Clio | 72.2% | 69,930 |
| 4 | Peugeot 207 | 72.5% | 33,026 |
| 5 | Land Rover Defender | 72.5% | 31,238 |
| 6 | Fiat Punto | 72.9% | 12,890 |
| 7 | Peugeot 206 | 73.7% | 13,168 |
| 8 | Volkswagen Beetle | 74.3% | 11,262 |
| 9 | Ford Galaxy | 74.3% | 12,125 |
| 10 | Vauxhall Corsa | 74.9% | 171,824 |
Best and worst makes
| Make | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Renault | 74.9% | 161,389 |
| Citroen | 76% | 150,512 |
| Fiat | 76.9% | 127,703 |
| Vauxhall | 77.1% | 497,049 |
| Peugeot | 77.3% | 220,942 |
| Make | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Audi | 82.8% | 319,262 |
| BMW | 82.4% | 342,439 |
| Jaguar | 82.4% | 67,309 |
| Mercedes-Benz | 82.2% | 287,062 |
| Skoda | 82.1% | 132,784 |
What UK cars fail on
| Area | Share of all items | Items per 100 tests | Items recorded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 24.8% | 45.5 | 3,042,689 |
| Tyres | 24.7% | 45.3 | 3,025,644 |
| Suspension | 14.2% | 26 | 1,738,497 |
| Lights and signalling | 12.7% | 23.3 | 1,557,159 |
| Other items | 5.9% | 10.9 | 727,474 |
| Windscreen and wipers | 4.5% | 8.3 | 552,833 |
| Corrosion | 3.1% | 5.7 | 380,408 |
| Bodywork | 3% | 5.5 | 365,653 |
| Exhaust and emissions | 2.6% | 4.8 | 319,133 |
| Fuel system | 2.3% | 4.3 | 287,257 |
| Steering | 1.2% | 2.2 | 143,668 |
| Electrical | 0.6% | 1.1 | 75,125 |
| Structure | 0.2% | 0.4 | 28,875 |
| Drivetrain | 0.2% | 0.3 | 18,532 |
How fail rates climb with mileage and age
| Mileage | Fail rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 miles | 13.1% | 2,213,522 |
| 40,000 to 79,999 miles | 21.7% | 2,458,688 |
| 80,000 to 119,999 miles | 28.3% | 1,250,678 |
| 120,000 miles or more | 31.4% | 682,988 |
| Year | Fail rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 11.9% | 47,255 |
| 2022 | 12.7% | 72,347 |
| 2021 | 12.9% | 113,905 |
| 2020 | 13.3% | 139,879 |
| 2019 | 13.8% | 263,436 |
| 2018 | 14.7% | 322,509 |
| 2017 | 15.6% | 391,000 |
| 2016 | 17.3% | 440,537 |
| 2015 | 18.7% | 470,152 |
| 2014 | 20.2% | 486,436 |
| 2013 | 21.6% | 462,886 |
| 2012 | 22.6% | 432,000 |
| 2011 | 23.4% | 415,709 |
| 2010 | 24.5% | 421,624 |
| 2009 | 24.9% | 354,429 |
| 2008 | 25.3% | 349,566 |
| 2007 | 25.2% | 323,062 |
| 2006 | 25.3% | 259,725 |
| 2005 | 25.4% | 204,253 |
| 2004 | 25.3% | 165,674 |
| 2003 | 25.3% | 128,382 |
| 2002 | 25% | 90,878 |
| 2001 | 25% | 61,637 |
| 2000 | 24.5% | 39,717 |
| 1999 | 25.3% | 33,216 |
| 1998 | 24.4% | 25,871 |
Registration years with at least 20,000 tests. Each year's figure covers every MOT those vehicles took during the data period.
Biggest corrosion and brake offenders
| Model | Per 100 tests | Times UK average |
|---|---|---|
| Land Rover Defender | 17.5 | 3.1x |
| Ford Ka | 17.2 | 3x |
| Mazda MX-5 | 16.9 | 3x |
| Fiat Punto | 14.2 | 2.5x |
| Land Rover Discovery | 13.4 | 2.4x |
| Model | Per 100 tests | Times UK average |
|---|---|---|
| Land Rover Defender | 71.5 | 1.6x |
| Renault Megane | 70.7 | 1.6x |
| Suzuki Swift | 65.6 | 1.4x |
| Nissan X-Trail | 63.9 | 1.4x |
| Hyundai IX35 | 62.7 | 1.4x |
Methodology
Data source. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) publishes MOT test results for every light vehicle tested in England, Scotland and Wales, covering cars, light vans and motorcycles. Northern Ireland runs a separate testing system and is not included. The data is published under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (DVSA MOT testing data).
Period and sample. This analysis covers 6,681,613 MOT tests completed from 2004 to March 2026. Every test is counted, including retests.
Pass rate. The fail rate is the number of tests with a fail result divided by the number of tests. The pass rate is 100% minus the fail rate. 0.8% of test records carry neither a pass nor a fail result and count as not failed.
Minimum sample sizes. Model pages need at least 1,000 tests. The rankings in this report need at least 10,000 tests per model and 50,000 per make, and a model is only ranked when at least 98% of its test records carry a pass or fail result (121 models qualify). Years of a model are only named as ones to avoid with at least 1,000 tests.
Makes and models. Models are grouped by the make and model names recorded by DVSA, so some trims appear under their own name.
Failure areas. Each defect and advisory the tester recorded is assigned to an area (tyres, brakes, corrosion and so on) from its description. Area figures include advisories as well as failure items, and are shown as a share of all items recorded or as items per 100 tests.
Mileage and age. Mileage bands use the odometer reading taken at each test. Age uses the year the vehicle was first registered. Registration years less than three years before the end of the data period are left out of age comparisons, because a vehicle's first MOT is due at three years old. On model pages, each registration year is compared with the UK fail rate for all vehicles first registered that year, which allows for age.
What a pass rate does not tell you. MOT results are one signal of how a model holds up. They do not capture breakdowns between tests, repair costs or how an individual car was maintained, and models with older fleets or higher mileages will naturally fail more often.
Media and citation
These figures are free to quote, chart and republish, with attribution to CarBuyerIQ and a link to this page. We can supply figures for specific makes, models or registration years on request.
Suggested citation: Source: CarBuyerIQ analysis of DVSA MOT test data, https://www.carbuyeriq.com/mot-pass-rates/report