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How to make sure your car passes its next MOT test

MOT time? Whether your car passes or fails its annual road-worthiness test is always considered bit of a lottery. After all, how can a three-year-old car having its first MOT fail, yet one that’s done 200k miles and looks like it’s on its last legs pass? Is it just down to luck?

Here at KnowYourCar we’re strong believers in the saying that forewarned is forearmed - a quick glance at MOT and car reliability will show you what your car could trip up on at its next test.

You’ll also find this feature on our app, available for free on the App Store and on Google Play. Just enter your car’s registration and you’ll be presented with a figure representing the chance of your car passing its next MOT together with a list of faults that gave other owners of your model (from the same year and using the same fuel) test-time headaches.

So let’s take a look at some examples of the UK’s most popular cars and what causes them to fail their MOT tests, to get an idea of what owners should be focusing on before they take it to the garage:

Ford Fiesta petrol (2014)
  1. Headlamp aim out of alignment (5.5% of all MOT test failures)
  2. Nearside stop lamp not working (1%)
  3. Offside stop lamp not working (0.96%)

Ford Focus petrol (2002)
  1. Headlamp aim out of alignment(6.5%)
  2. Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively (6%)
  3. Brake pipe excessively corroded (4.6%)

Volkswagen Golf diesel (2010)
  1. Headlamp aim out of alignment (4%)
  2. Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively (3.4%)
  3. Registration plate lamp issues (1.2%)

Nissan Qashqai diesel (2010)
  1. Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively (6%)
  2. Headlamp aim out of alignment (3.8%)
  3. Registration plate lamp issues (3.5%)

Vauxhall Corsa petrol (2008)
  1. Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively (7.5%)
  2. Headlamp aim out of alignment (4.7%)
  3. Registration plate lamp issues (4%)

With bulbs and wipers playing a big part in many of the above cars’ MOT failures, it’s important to give them a once over before you head for the garage - it takes seconds to check, after all. But what else can you do, other than gen up on your model’s potential hot spots?

Things to check before the MOT

  1. Tyre tread depth and condition (at least 1.6mm throughout a continuous band in the centre three quarters of the tread and around the entire circumference)
  2. Wiper blades (no smearing)
  3. All exterior lights (including front foglights and daytime running lights)
  4. Any warning lights on the dashboard? (most will result in a failure)
  5. Check fluid levels in the engine bay (top up if necessary, although brake fluid just needs to be above minimum)
  6. Does the horn work?
  7. Check the windscreen for chips/cracks (anything on the driver’s side may be an issue). Also remove any phone/sat-nav mounts before the test
  8. Check the door and rear view mirrors for damage
  9. Are the registration plates legible and not corroded?
  10. Make sure the car’s reasonably clean inside and out!