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The Most Common UK MOT Failures: 2020

MOT’s are an essential part of driving. They are what make sure your car and all other cars out there too are above board, legal and roadworthy. That’s massively important when thinking about all of our safety on the road. Some of the best ways to make sure that your car makes the cut and keeps you safe too is actually to take a look at some of the most common MOT failures out there and what you’re most likely to need to take a look at. It’s all great to know after all.

The best way to go about finding these most common MOT failures is actually by looking straight at the facts. It’s hard to argue with cold hard statistics after all, and these are the barebones behind testing in 2020. With a staggering 31.7% of all cars facing the test actually failing, that’s essential info.

The Most Common MOT Failures

  1. Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment (27%)
  2. Suspension (18.1%)
  3. Brakes (16.8%)
  4. Tyres (11.6%)
  5. Visibility (8%)
  6. Body, Chassis, Structure (6.8%)
  7. Noise, Emission and Leaks (5.6%)
  8. Steering (2.9%)
  9. Seatbelts and Supplementary Restraint Systems (1.9%)
  10. Identification of Vehicle (0.7%)
  11. Road Wheels (0.6%)

How Reliable is this Data?

With statements like these, it’s always smart to take a look at the information before you make any assumptions. The data that we have used for this piece all comes directly from the UK governments randomised data statistics. It is comprised of data from Q2 of 2019/2020 dating July-September and is almost identical to the quarter previous to this. That suggests this data is likely going to be consistent in the future too and more than likely still applicable in today’s climate.

Other Useful MOT Statistics

Since the data collected does go into more depth on the MOT situation of the UK, it should also be noted that there are other interesting numbers involved in the data provided. This comes from figures such as:

22.6% of all MOT failures are due to Major Defects. These are the defects which can be seriously detrimental, in contract to the 9.1% of failures being categorised as dangerous.

On average, the rate of failure is falling 1-2% year on year, with the data showing a staggering 40% of vehicles failed in 2013/14 in comparison to the 31.7% we see in the latest info.

Ultimately, this is just an insight into the most common problems. Check out these problem areas and repair them as quickly as you can, MOT or not. Your safety ad others could depend on it, and it really is something that can’t be done quick enough.

Happy driving!

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