Used car rankings from MOT data
Fewer lights and electrics MOT failures than cars the same age
We ranked 265 cars by how many MOTs fail on lamps, reflectors, the battery and wiring at 3 to 15 years old, each against all cars at the same ages. From 95,461,987 DVSA MOT tests in Great Britain, 2022 to 2025.
MOT data updated
First in this list (n=91,720)1.6
All cars, same ages9.0
Difference83% lower
MOT tests used95,461,987
First in this list: Porsche 911.
How this ranking works
- Data: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal tests in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales), 2022 to 2025. Northern Ireland tests its cars separately and is not included. A fail is a test marked fail or passed after a repair at the test station.
- Measure: tests with at least one lights and electrics fail item per 100 MOTs, at each age from 3 to 15 years, pooled and compared with all cars at the same ages. The lights and electrics group covers lamps, reflectors, the battery and wiring. An age with no lights and electrics fail counts as 0.
- Order: by the fail rate divided by the rate for all cars at the same ages, shown as the difference in per cent. Fail rates rise with age, so a ratio keeps a model seen only at older ages from looking better than it is.
- Comparison: all cars means every class 4 MOT test except vans, pickups, taxis, campers, van-based people carriers, motorhome and minibus bases and used imports, weighted to each row's own mix of ages.
- Thresholds: every age behind a row here has at least 5,000 tests. A model generation is ranked only with at least 3 ages of 1,000 tests or more, and a row needs at least 3 ages in this list. A list is published only with at least 10 ranked rows.
- Typical mileage: the median odometer reading at each age, averaged over the row's ages by number of tests.
- Vans, pickups, taxis, campers, van-based people carriers, motorhome and minibus bases, and models sold here mainly as used imports are left out of car lists.
- Years in brackets are the first-use years of a model generation.
The ranking
| # | Model | Fails per 100 MOTs | All cars, same ages | Difference | Ages | Tests (n) | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Porsche 911Lights and electrics problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 1.6 | 9.0 | 83% lower | 3 to 15 | 91,720 | 30,500 miles |
| 2 | Mercedes-Benz S-ClassCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 1.3 | 5.6 | 77% lower | 4 to 10 | 58,021 | 61,700 miles |
| 3 | Jaguar F-TypeCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 1.3 | 5.7 | 77% lower | 4 to 10 | 48,572 | 28,700 miles |
| 4 | BMW 6 Series (from 2004)Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 2.1 | 7.4 | 72% lower | 5 to 11 | 48,471 | 66,500 miles |
| 5 | Mercedes-Benz GLCLights and electrics problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 1.1 | 3.8 | 71% lower | 3 to 9 | 297,376 | 44,400 miles |
| 6 | Audi A7Lights and electrics problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 2.2 | 7.4 | 71% lower | 5 to 11 | 50,430 | 74,800 miles |
| 7 | Mercedes-Benz GLECommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 1.2 | 4.0 | 70% lower | 3 to 9 | 111,989 | 47,900 miles |
| 8 | BMW Z4Lights and electrics problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 4.3 | 13.6 | 68% lower | 3 to 15 | 61,035 | 57,200 miles |
| 9 | BMW 7 SeriesCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 1.2 | 3.7 | 68% lower | 4 to 7 | 24,028 | 52,500 miles |
| 10 | Land Rover Range RoverLights and electrics problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 3.0 | 9.0 | 67% lower | 3 to 15 | 264,211 | 76,900 miles |
| 11 | BMW M4Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 1.3 | 4.0 | 67% lower | 3 to 8 | 40,600 | 33,000 miles |
| 12 | Volvo S90 (from 2016)Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 1.1 | 3.2 | 66% lower | 4 to 6 | 19,424 | 47,500 miles |
| 13 | Porsche CayenneCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 2.4 | 7.1 | 66% lower | 3 to 13 | 92,428 | 63,200 miles |
| 14 | Mercedes-Benz SLKLights and electrics problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 4.5 | 12.6 | 65% lower | 7 to 15 | 119,906 | 54,700 miles |
| 15 | Mercedes-Benz E-ClassLights and electrics problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 3.2 | 8.5 | 63% lower | 3 to 15 | 851,495 | 74,400 miles |
| 16 | Lexus NXCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 1.6 | 4.1 | 62% lower | 3 to 9 | 101,446 | 40,000 miles |
| 17 | Honda HR-V (from 2015)Lights and electrics problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 1.7 | 4.3 | 61% lower | 3 to 9 | 122,064 | 37,200 miles |
| 18 | Mercedes-Benz CLSLights and electrics problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 4.1 | 10.6 | 61% lower | 6 to 15 | 66,375 | 82,100 miles |
| 19 | BMW X6Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 2.1 | 5.5 | 61% lower | 5 to 9 | 29,563 | 61,700 miles |
| 20 | Mercedes-Benz SLCCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 1.8 | 4.6 | 61% lower | 5 to 8 | 27,853 | 29,200 miles |
What stands out
- Porsche 911 comes first: 1.6 per 100 MOTs against 9.0 per 100 MOTs for all cars at the same ages on lights and electrics fails, 83% lower (n=91,720).
- 165 of the 265 ranked cars have fewer of these fails than all cars at the same ages.
- In the 20 shown, the difference from all cars runs from 83% lower to 61% lower.
Read this with care. A fail rate is not a measure of build quality. How far cars are driven, how they are used and how well owners maintain them all change it, and wear items such as tyres and brake pads are common fails. Compare a model only with cars of the same age. Methodology and limits.
More rankings
All used car rankings · MOT fail rates by make and model · Common problems by model · Recalls by model · ULEZ by model
Looking at one car?
A ranking describes model generations, not the car in front of you. The VetTheCar Buying Report reads one car's MOT history, mileage and recalls and sets them against cars like it.
Source
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal MOT tests, 2022 to 2025. MOT data updated 28 September 2026.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources