Cheap runners: cars most and least likely to pass an MOT test

New data reveals which cars are most likely to pass an MOT and those most likely to fail.

Taking your car for a MOT is a stressful experience, no matter what car you have or how long you’ve had it.

But the truth is that your experience can differ sharply depending on precisely what you drive.

After all, while some cars have a fantastic record at passing the test, others have a patchier record.

Now leasing comparison site LeaseLoco has dug into data obtained from the DVSA through a Freedom of Information request to pick out which cars perform best in the tests, and which have room for improvement.

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The best and worst car models

First, let’s take a look at the individual car models with the best pass record in 2023.

Importantly the breakdown focuses only on those cars where there were at least 1,000 MOTs carried out across the year.

Car	Number of MOTs (2023)	Number of passes	Number of fails	Pass rate
Lexus UX	1,195	1,140	55	95.4%
Lexus RX	1,231	1,153	78	93.7%
Porsche Macan	2,986	2,790	196	93.4%
Ford Puma	1,493	1,394	99	93.4%
Volkswagen T-Cross	1,816	1,667	149	91.8%
Audi Q2	14,301	13,106	1,195	91.6%
Lexus NX	4,692	4,295	397	91.5%
Volkswagen T-Roc	15,352	13,964	1,388	91.0%
Jaguar I-Pace	1,532	1,391	141	90.8%
Skoda Karoq	8,484	7,702	782	90.8%

The first thing that jumps out from this list is the performance of Lexus, which accounts for three of the 10 motors with the best pass record.

Indeed with Porsche, Audi and Jaguar also making the list there’s apparently some benefit to opting for a premium manufacturer.

Now let’s take a look at those with the worst pass records:

Car	Number of MOTs (2023)	Number of passes	Number of fails	Pass rate
Peugeot 307	5,521	2,664	2,857	48.3%
Citroen Xsara	3,061	1,481	1,580	48.4%
Renault Grand Scenic	1,271	640	631	50.4%
Peugeot 207	46,623	23,587	23,036	50.6%
Volkswagen Beetle	1,870	965	905	51.6%
Hyundai Getz	2,765	1,438	1,327	52.0%
Volkswagen Fox	4,792	2,512	2,280	52.4%
Ford Focus C-Max	1,867	981	886	52.5%
Peugeot 206	11,521	6,609	5,452	52.7%
Renault Megane	19,574	10,336	9,238	52.8%

Clearly, a pass rate of around one in two is absolutely brutal. Peugeot is a regular name here, with three of the models in the list, while Volkswagen and Renault have two each.

Ford is the only manufacturer to have a model in both the top and bottom list.

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The best and worst manufacturers for MOT passes

However, those are only isolated examples. What about when you take a manufacturer’s entire line and see how they perform consistently across MOT tests?

These are the five names with the best and worst records according to LeaseLoco’s analysis, and it once again highlights the fact that you do get a little more reliability with a premium name.

Manufacturer	Pass rate	Manufacturer	Pass rate
Ferrari	89.9%	Citroen	64.9%
Bentley	89.6%	Alfa Romeo	64.2%
Aston Martin	89.5%	Renault	63%
Porsche	88.9%	Chrysler	62.2%
Lexus	87.7%	Chevrolet	55.4%

Improving your chances of passing

Unfortunately, this research doesn’t tell us precisely why these motors have come up short in the MOT tests.

But there are certain common reasons for failures that you can act on before heading off to the test to boost your chances of a pass.

For example, an awful lot of cars each year fail their MOT because the windscreen wiper doesn’t clear the screen properly.

All the testers are looking for is that the wipers can clear water quickly without leaving any untouched areas or smears, which will damage your visibility.

This can easily be avoided by testing your wipers properly at home, well in advance of the test. And getting substandard wipers replaced will work out at a fraction of the cost of having multiple MOTs.

Another very common reason for failure is your headline amp being out of alignment, and again it’s something you can check at home.

Line your car up with the beams on against a wall or garage door and mark where the centre of the beams is. Then reverse back a few metres and check the centre of the beam remains in the same place and that they are level.

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