The Most Common MOT Failures — and a Pre-MOT Checklist You Can Do Yourself

What fails most MOTs?

According to DVSA figures, the most common reasons cars fail their MOT are lighting and signalling faults, suspension problems, brakes, tyres and the driver's view of the road (wipers, washers and windscreen damage). A surprising number of those are things you can spot on your own driveway in ten minutes — a blown bulb or an empty washer bottle is a fail just like a worn brake disc.

Checking the simple items before the test will not stop a worn ball joint or a corroded brake pipe from failing, but it does stop you failing for something that costs pennies to put right.

Your 10-minute pre-MOT checklist

Lights: switch on sidelights, dipped and main beam, then walk round. Check indicators (including side repeaters), hazards, brake lights (use a reflection in a window or ask someone to press the pedal), fog lights, reversing lights and the number plate lights.

Tyres: tread must be at least 1.6mm across the central three-quarters of the tyre, all the way round. Look for cuts, bulges and cords showing, and check the pressures while you are at it.

Wipers and washers: the wipers need to clear the screen properly and the washer bottle must have fluid in it. Split or smearing blades are a common and avoidable fail.

Windscreen: chips or cracks in the area swept by the wipers can fail — anything over 10mm directly in front of the driver, or over 40mm elsewhere in the swept area.

Warning lights: an engine management, ABS, airbag or power steering warning light that stays on is a fail. Get it diagnosed before the test rather than on the day.

Number plates: clean, readable, not cracked, and in the legal font and spacing.

Horn, seatbelts and mirrors: give the horn a press, pull each seatbelt out fully and check it locks when tugged sharply, and make sure the mirrors are secure and not cracked.

Check when your MOT is due

You can have your MOT up to a month (minus a day) before it runs out and keep the same renewal date, so there is no penalty for booking early. Enter your registration below to see your current expiry date.

What happens if it fails with us

If your car fails, we show you exactly what failed and why, and give you a written quote to put it right before any work starts. Once the repairs are done you get a free retest within 10 working days. Faults marked dangerous mean the car should not be driven until they are fixed, so leaving it with us for the repair is often the simplest option.

Our MOT is £35, carried out at our DVSA-approved test centre (site 9030BE) on Bristol Road South in Northfield — easy to reach from Longbridge, Kings Norton and Selly Oak along the A38. Call us on 0121 476 2287 to book.