Most common reasons for MOT failures in the UK - full list including coil springs and tyres

The annual MOT always manages to sneak up on drivers, and often comes with a hefty bill for things you possibly had no idea could cause problems. From brake pads to tyre tread there are a number of things that need to be kept in tip top shape for your car to be road safe.

With that in mind Insurance broker One Sure Insurance analysed the DVLA’s MOT database to find the most common causes of MOT failure among Class 4 vehicles (Cars, vans, motorhomes, and other smaller commercial vehicles). You could be fined up to £1,000 for driving a vehicle without a valid test certificate so it’s worth knowing you can get an MOT up to a month (minus a day) before the last one  runs out and keep the same renewal date.

Taking first place as the most common reason for a car to fail its MOT are worn or damaged tyres. Across all four tyres, poor condition, or not meeting the legal requirement of at least 1.6mm of tread depth contributed to 1,101,839 MOT failures across the UK in a single year. The driver-side front tyre tread depth accounted for more than a quarter of these, the equivalent of 368,853 MOT failures.

So, what are the 10 most common reasons for MOT failures in the UK? Here’s the full list.

Top 10 most common reasons for MOT failures in the UK

1. Tyres - 1,101,839
2. Coil springs - 1,069,069
3. Headlamp aim - 806,993
4. Wipers - 778,244
5. Position lamps - 759,032
6. Brake pads - 674,986
7. Pins and bushes - 632,061
8. Ball joints - 620,900
9. Service brake performance - 615,329
10. Rigid brake pipes - 522, 429