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Used car rankings from MOT data

Fewer suspension MOT failures than cars the same age

We ranked 265 cars by how many MOTs fail on suspension (springs, shock absorbers, arms, joints and bushes) 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)0.64
All cars, same ages7.4
Difference91% 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 suspension fail item per 100 MOTs, at each age from 3 to 15 years, pooled and compared with all cars at the same ages. The suspension group covers suspension (springs, shock absorbers, arms, joints and bushes). An age with no suspension 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

The 20 cars with the fewest suspension fails against all cars at the same ages, at 3 to 15 years old, of 265 ranked.
#ModelFails per 100 MOTsAll cars, same agesDifferenceAgesTests (n)Typical mileage
1Porsche 911Suspension problems · Recalls · ULEZ0.647.491% lower3 to 1591,72030,500 miles
2Lexus UXCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ0.070.7691% lower3 to 536,31925,100 miles
3Jaguar F-TypeCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ0.524.588% lower4 to 1048,57228,700 miles
4Lexus ISSuspension problems · Recalls · ULEZ1.510.486% lower6 to 1585,48381,500 miles
5Audi e-tronCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ0.120.7384% lower3 to 537,70532,700 miles
6BMW 7 SeriesCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ0.372.283% lower4 to 724,02852,500 miles
7Lexus CTSuspension problems · ULEZ1.37.583% lower4 to 13116,14466,800 miles
8MINI PacemanSuspension problems · Recalls · ULEZ1.37.582% lower8 to 1021,69259,400 miles
9Kia NiroCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ0.221.382% lower3 to 8236,30138,100 miles
10Porsche MacanCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ0.512.982% lower3 to 9109,23841,800 miles
11Suzuki CelerioCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ0.824.482% lower4 to 10108,49933,100 miles
12Jaguar E-PaceCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ0.301.580% lower3 to 7114,72435,000 miles
13Volkswagen T-RocCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ0.291.377% lower3 to 7260,44331,600 miles
14Audi Q2Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ0.411.776% lower3 to 8261,04734,500 miles
15Jaguar I-PaceCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ0.190.8076% lower3 to 552,91431,500 miles
16Jaguar F-PaceCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ0.592.476% lower3 to 9202,04646,500 miles
17Kia OptimaCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ0.823.275% lower5 to 830,69165,300 miles
18Suzuki Vitara (from 2015)Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ0.782.973% lower3 to 10248,46240,100 miles
19Mitsubishi MirageSuspension problems · Recalls · ULEZ1.86.773% lower7 to 1023,64741,700 miles
20Ford Puma (from 2019)Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ0.200.7172% lower3 to 5171,40124,100 miles

What stands out

  • Porsche 911 comes first: 0.64 per 100 MOTs against 7.4 per 100 MOTs for all cars at the same ages on suspension fails, 91% lower (n=91,720).
  • 162 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 91% lower to 72% 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.

See a sample Buying Report Look up a model's MOT fail rate

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