Check a car's MOT pass rate
Choose a make and model to see how often it passes first time at each age, compared with the UK average.
How age affects the MOT pass rate
Age is the biggest single factor. Tyres, brakes, suspension and lights wear out, so older cars fail more often whatever their make. That is why we compare cars of the same age throughout this study.
| Car age | First-time pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years | 86.1% | 3,011,115 |
| 6 to 8 years | 79.1% | 3,968,631 |
| 9 to 12 years | 69.1% | 4,766,326 |
| 13 years or more | 59.6% | 5,158,895 |
The most reliable car brands
Brands ranked by the first-time pass rate of their cars aged 6 to 8 years. This age gives a fair comparison: old enough for wear to show, young enough that most cars still have their original owners' servicing. Vans and pickups are left out of the brand figures. The last column covers cars of every age, so it also reflects how old each brand's cars are.
| # | Brand | Pass rate, 6–8 years | 3–5 years | 9–12 years | All ages | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Porsche | 90.9% | 93.0% | 88.7% | 87.1% | 101,956 |
| 2 | Lexus | 89.4% | 92.8% | 84.4% | 83.3% | 85,422 |
| 3 | Honda | 86.2% | 90.5% | 79.2% | 71.8% | 457,925 |
| 4 | MINI | 85.1% | 88.7% | 78.2% | 76.7% | 424,502 |
| 5 | BMW | 84.4% | 88.2% | 76.8% | 78.9% | 978,046 |
| 6 | Jaguar | 84.1% | 89.0% | 77.7% | 79.2% | 183,741 |
| 7 | Subaru | 83.6% | 88.9% | 74.1% | 74.4% | 30,464 |
| 8 | Toyota | 83.4% | 88.9% | 75.1% | 74.5% | 823,808 |
| 9 | Audi | 83.3% | 89.3% | 76.2% | 77.9% | 903,169 |
| 10 | Land Rover | 83.2% | 86.9% | 78.0% | 76.9% | 491,671 |
| 11 | Mitsubishi | 82.5% | 87.2% | 70.8% | 72.5% | 102,942 |
| 12 | Mazda | 82.2% | 89.5% | 70.3% | 71.9% | 270,821 |
| 13 | Volkswagen | 82.2% | 88.5% | 73.5% | 73.2% | 1,336,076 |
| 14 | Mercedes-Benz | 82.1% | 87.7% | 74.7% | 77.3% | 829,611 |
| 15 | Suzuki | 81.7% | 89.8% | 71.4% | 72.8% | 221,851 |
| 16 | Volvo | 81.3% | 88.8% | 71.1% | 74.5% | 306,305 |
| 17 | Skoda | 81.3% | 86.7% | 73.4% | 75.7% | 410,791 |
| 18 | Hyundai | 81.0% | 86.7% | 67.5% | 73.0% | 468,350 |
| 19 | Kia | 81.0% | 86.0% | 67.4% | 74.0% | 497,854 |
| 20 | Tesla | 80.2% | 84.2% | – | 83.5% | 56,004 |
| 21 | Alfa Romeo | 80.2% | 87.2% | 65.0% | 67.7% | 35,777 |
| 22 | Ford | 78.7% | 86.6% | 65.7% | 68.3% | 1,836,346 |
| 23 | Smart | 78.4% | 86.7% | 71.9% | 71.1% | 44,969 |
| 24 | SEAT | 77.7% | 86.1% | 68.5% | 73.5% | 289,692 |
| 25 | Nissan | 76.2% | 86.1% | 63.9% | 67.0% | 781,705 |
| 26 | Fiat | 75.4% | 85.4% | 64.3% | 66.8% | 331,032 |
| 27 | Jeep | 74.7% | 85.1% | 68.0% | 72.0% | 36,988 |
| 28 | Peugeot | 74.5% | 84.0% | 64.1% | 66.3% | 565,321 |
| 29 | Citroen | 73.5% | 84.9% | 61.1% | 64.1% | 370,508 |
| 30 | MG | 73.2% | 84.2% | 66.4% | 78.7% | 69,322 |
| 31 | Vauxhall | 73.0% | 84.2% | 63.4% | 65.8% | 1,288,947 |
| 32 | Renault | 71.0% | 83.7% | 58.2% | 62.4% | 394,109 |
| 33 | Dacia | 68.6% | 78.4% | 57.7% | 68.0% | 103,635 |
| 34 | DS | 68.0% | 82.1% | 58.9% | 67.6% | 23,753 |
Brands with at least 20,000 tests in the sample. Tesla's all-ages figure is high because almost all its cars are young.
The most reliable cars aged 6 to 8 years
Models with at least 4,000 tests at this age, ranked by first-time pass rate. Vans and pickups are listed separately.
| # | Car | First-time pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Porsche Macan | 90.1% | 7,673 |
| 2 | Mazda MX-5 | 89.1% | 6,597 |
| 3 | Volkswagen T-Roc | 89.0% | 12,905 |
| 4 | Lexus NX | 88.8% | 6,001 |
| 5 | Audi TT | 88.7% | 9,461 |
| 6 | Skoda Karoq | 88.2% | 10,211 |
| 7 | Honda Jazz | 88.0% | 27,397 |
| 8 | Audi Q2 | 87.7% | 18,287 |
| 9 | Toyota Prius | 87.3% | 26,727 |
| 10 | Volvo XC40 | 87.0% | 6,054 |
| 11 | Honda CR-V | 86.9% | 16,378 |
| 12 | Lexus CT | 86.9% | 4,242 |
| 13 | Mercedes-Benz GLE | 86.7% | 7,420 |
| 14 | Honda HR-V | 86.5% | 9,042 |
| 15 | BMW X5 | 86.3% | 10,598 |
The least reliable cars aged 6 to 8 years
| # | Car | First-time pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Renault Clio | 64.5% | 30,216 |
| 2 | DS DS3 | 66.8% | 9,212 |
| 3 | Citroen C4 Cactus | 67.3% | 7,949 |
| 4 | Citroen C4 Picasso | 67.6% | 9,684 |
| 5 | Dacia Sandero | 67.9% | 21,019 |
| 6 | Citroen C4 | 67.9% | 6,640 |
| 7 | Vauxhall Adam | 68.2% | 10,402 |
| 8 | Vauxhall Mokka | 68.3% | 53,201 |
| 9 | Fiat Tipo | 69.1% | 5,052 |
| 10 | Dacia Duster | 69.4% | 12,974 |
The most reliable newer cars: 3 to 5 years old
Most cars sit their first MOT at three years old. These models passed most often in their first few tests.
| # | Car | First-time pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lexus UX | 93.7% | 6,590 |
| 2 | Porsche Macan | 93.2% | 6,337 |
| 3 | Honda Jazz | 91.7% | 20,934 |
| 4 | Lexus NX | 91.7% | 6,082 |
| 5 | Honda CR-V | 91.6% | 10,109 |
| 6 | Honda HR-V | 91.6% | 4,735 |
| 7 | Jaguar I-Pace | 91.5% | 9,653 |
| 8 | Audi TT | 91.3% | 5,044 |
| 9 | Audi Q2 | 91.2% | 23,258 |
| 10 | Audi Q3 | 91.2% | 19,529 |
Older cars: 9 to 12 years
If you are buying an older car on a budget, these models held up best, and worst.
Most reliable at 9 to 12 years
| # | Car | First-time pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Porsche Cayenne | 85.1% | 4,726 |
| 2 | Lexus IS | 84.2% | 4,543 |
| 3 | Audi TT | 83.3% | 14,060 |
| 4 | BMW X5 | 82.9% | 10,942 |
| 5 | Audi Q7 | 82.0% | 7,141 |
| 6 | Mazda MX-5 | 82.0% | 6,609 |
| 7 | Lexus CT | 81.7% | 7,294 |
| 8 | Honda CR-V | 81.0% | 28,841 |
| 9 | Audi A6 | 80.6% | 21,761 |
| 10 | Honda Jazz | 80.3% | 39,954 |
Least reliable at 9 to 12 years
| # | Car | First-time pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Citroen DS3 | 52.5% | 26,035 |
| 2 | Renault Clio | 53.3% | 45,028 |
| 3 | Vauxhall Antara | 53.4% | 7,590 |
| 4 | Renault Megane | 54.1% | 13,659 |
| 5 | Dacia Sandero | 56.4% | 20,648 |
| 6 | Peugeot 207 | 56.7% | 4,259 |
| 7 | Peugeot 3008 | 57.0% | 17,666 |
| 8 | Fiat Punto | 57.1% | 7,368 |
| 9 | DS DS3 | 58.4% | 6,331 |
| 10 | Dacia Duster | 58.5% | 10,513 |
How the UK's 20 most common cars compare
The cars that sat the most MOTs in our sample. Average mileage is for cars aged 6 to 8 years, since more miles means more wear.
| Car | Pass rate, 6–8 years | 9–12 years | Avg miles at 6–8 | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Fiesta | 76.7% | 62.5% | 52,000 | 699,693 |
| Ford Focus | 80.2% | 66.6% | 61,000 | 461,477 |
| Volkswagen Golf | 85.2% | 78.3% | 63,000 | 458,639 |
| Vauxhall Corsa | 70.9% | 60.4% | 52,000 | 454,487 |
| Volkswagen Polo | 75.6% | 67.5% | 51,000 | 326,866 |
| Vauxhall Astra | 77.4% | 66.4% | 66,000 | 305,996 |
| Nissan Qashqai | 77.0% | 62.4% | 61,000 | 296,480 |
| BMW 3 Series | 84.7% | 75.7% | 75,000 | 249,927 |
| Toyota Yaris | 82.4% | 73.1% | 45,000 | 231,527 |
| Audi A3 | 85.1% | 77.0% | 64,000 | 217,322 |
| BMW 1 Series | 82.4% | 73.2% | 64,000 | 201,779 |
| Mercedes-Benz C-Class | 82.3% | 74.7% | 67,000 | 190,355 |
| Mercedes-Benz A-Class | 80.1% | 71.0% | 61,000 | 186,257 |
| MINI Cooper | 85.8% | 79.2% | 47,000 | 179,577 |
| Fiat 500 | 74.0% | 63.8% | 41,000 | 176,915 |
| Honda Jazz | 88.0% | 80.3% | 37,000 | 171,221 |
| Nissan Juke | 76.5% | 60.5% | 53,000 | 165,667 |
| Renault Clio | 64.5% | 53.3% | 53,000 | 156,280 |
| Ford Kuga | 82.8% | 72.8% | 60,000 | 155,228 |
| Kia Sportage | 80.0% | 67.8% | 63,000 | 146,838 |
Petrol, diesel, hybrid or electric?
Petrol hybrids pass most often at every age. Their engines share the work with an electric motor, and regenerative braking means the brakes wear more slowly. Electric cars do about as well as petrol cars: they have fewer parts to fail, but their weight is hard on tyres and suspension. Diesels pass least often, partly because they tend to cover higher mileages.
| Fuel | 3–5 years | 6–8 years | 9–12 years | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hybrid (petrol) | 89.1% | 84.1% | 79.0% | 582,705 |
| Petrol | 87.1% | 79.9% | 69.6% | 8,990,331 |
| Electric | 85.9% | 79.4% | 68.4% | 235,010 |
| Diesel | 82.5% | 77.5% | 68.2% | 6,849,419 |
Weighing up a switch? See petrol vs electric running costs.
Vans and pickups aged 6 to 8 years
Light vans and pickups sit the same class 4 MOT as cars but usually work much harder, so we rank them on their own.
| # | Car | First-time pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fiat Ducato | 83.9% | 3,454 |
| 2 | Peugeot Boxer | 79.2% | 4,470 |
| 3 | Mitsubishi L200 | 78.8% | 12,085 |
| 4 | Volkswagen Amarok | 78.5% | 3,777 |
| 5 | Volkswagen Transporter | 76.0% | 31,499 |
| 6 | Toyota Hilux | 75.4% | 7,605 |
| 7 | Ford Transit Custom | 75.3% | 25,299 |
| 8 | Volkswagen Caddy | 74.2% | 18,365 |
| 9 | Ford Ranger | 73.5% | 19,148 |
| 10 | Ford Transit Connect | 72.9% | 25,114 |
| 11 | Mercedes-Benz Vito | 71.9% | 12,724 |
| 12 | Peugeot Expert | 71.3% | 7,456 |
| 13 | Isuzu D-MAX | 70.7% | 6,215 |
| 14 | Nissan Navara | 70.0% | 12,499 |
| 15 | Ford Transit | 68.5% | 43,861 |
| 16 | Ford Transit Courier | 68.2% | 5,980 |
| 17 | Fiat Doblo | 67.8% | 3,718 |
| 18 | Citroen Dispatch | 66.5% | 6,607 |
| 19 | Vauxhall Combo | 65.8% | 7,634 |
| 20 | Vauxhall Vivaro | 63.2% | 19,708 |
| 21 | Renault Trafic | 63.0% | 13,420 |
| 22 | Peugeot Partner | 62.9% | 21,607 |
| 23 | Citroen Berlingo | 61.1% | 21,772 |
| 24 | Mercedes-Benz Citan | 61.0% | 5,066 |
| 25 | Nissan NV200 | 60.9% | 3,082 |
| 26 | Renault Kangoo | 59.3% | 4,041 |
What this means if you are buying a used car
- The individual car matters more than the model. A well-kept Clio beats a neglected Jazz. Always check the car's own MOT history for repeat advisories and mileage that goes backwards.
- Compare like with like. A model's pass rate falls with age, so compare it with the average for its age group using the checker above.
- Budget for the failures that matter. Most MOT failures are tyres, brakes, lights and suspension. See our MOT checklist and used car checklist.
- Work out the full cost. Reliability is one part of running costs; tax, insurance and depreciation are the others. Try the car tax calculator and depreciation calculator.
How we did this study
- Data. DVSA's anonymised MOT test results for 2025, published under the Open Government Licence. We used seven full months: February, April, May, June, August, November and December 2025, a total of 16,904,967 tests.
- Which tests. Normal MOT tests on class 4 vehicles (cars, taxis and light vans up to 3,000kg). Retests and partial retests are excluded, so each figure is a first-time pass rate.
- Pass rate. Tests passed outright, divided by all tests that passed, failed or passed after a defect was fixed during the test. A defect fixed within the hour still counts as a fail at first attempt.
- Age. Calculated from the vehicle's first-use date to the test date. Cars under three years old rarely need an MOT and are excluded.
- Models. DVSA records some newer cars with their trim level in the model name. We grouped trims under the model, so "Jazz EX i-MMD CVT" counts as Jazz. Models need at least 4,000 tests in an age group to appear in a ranking, and 300 to show in the checker.
- Limits. MOT results reflect how a car has been driven and maintained as well as how it was built. High-mileage, commercial and taxi use all lower pass rates. The MOT tests safety and emissions, not the engine or gearbox, so a pass is not a guarantee of mechanical health.
Use this data
Journalists, researchers and car sites are welcome to quote, chart and republish these figures for free. Please credit VehicleFile with a link to this page:
Source: VehicleFile analysis of DVSA MOT data (https://vehiclefile.co.uk/most-reliable-cars)Download the full table (CSV, 59 makes)
Need a figure for a particular model or region? Contact us and we will run it.
Questions
What is the most reliable car brand in the UK?
In our analysis of 16.9 million MOT tests, Porsche had the highest first-time pass rate for cars aged 6 to 8 years (90.9%), followed by Lexus (89.4%) and Honda (86.2%). Among mainstream brands, Honda, Toyota and Mini stood out.
What percentage of cars pass their MOT first time?
71.6% of the cars in our sample passed their MOT first time. It falls with age: 86.1% of cars aged 3 to 5 pass, against 59.6% of cars aged 13 or more.
Are electric cars more likely to pass an MOT?
Not by much. Electric cars aged 6 to 8 passed first time 79.4% of the time, close to petrol cars (79.9%). Petrol hybrids did best of all at 84.1%. Electric cars are heavy, so tyres and suspension still fail.
Can I use this data?
Yes. You can quote, chart and republish these figures for free, including in news articles, as long as you credit VehicleFile with a link to this page. The full model-by-model table is available as a CSV download.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures calculated by VehicleFile. Spotted an error? Tell us.