Used car rankings from MOT data
Most reliable 8 year old sports cars by MOT fail rate
We ranked 28 sports cars by the share of MOT tests they failed at 8 years old, against 22.9% for all cars that age. From 158,301 DVSA MOT tests in Great Britain, 2022 to 2025.
MOT data updated
First in this list (n=6,995)5.7%
All cars, same age22.9%
Ranked28
MOT tests used158,301
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: share of MOTs failed by cars 8 years old (test year minus first-use year).
- 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 1,000 tests (we use 5,000 when a list stays long enough, and it would not here). A model generation is ranked only with at least 3 ages of 1,000 tests or more. A list is published only with at least 15 ranked rows.
- Segments: from our checked list that puts each DVSA model family in one segment; this list covers sports cars, coupes and convertibles. Families that change body type between generations without a split in the data are left out.
- 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 | MOT fail rate | All cars, same age | Tests (n) | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Porsche 911Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 5.7% | 22.9% | 6,995 | 26,900 miles |
| 2 | Bentley ContinentalCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 6.0% | 22.9% | 3,106 | 28,500 miles |
| 3 | Audi R8Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 6.4% | 22.9% | 1,127 | 27,000 miles |
| 4 | Porsche CaymanCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 6.4% | 22.9% | 4,257 | 32,400 miles |
| 5 | Aston Martin VantageCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 6.5% | 22.9% | 1,439 | 18,100 miles |
| 6 | Porsche BoxsterCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 6.7% | 22.9% | 4,529 | 30,400 miles |
| 7 | Subaru WRXCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 8.2% | 22.9% | 1,275 | 42,300 miles |
| 8 | Jaguar F-TypeCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 8.9% | 22.9% | 8,234 | 32,900 miles |
| 9 | Mercedes-Benz SLCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 9.9% | 22.9% | 3,319 | 34,200 miles |
| 10 | BMW i8Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 10.3% | 22.9% | 1,527 | 39,700 miles |
| 11 | BMW M2Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 11.3% | 22.9% | 1,934 | 45,300 miles |
| 12 | BMW M3Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 11.7% | 22.9% | 2,503 | 48,900 miles |
| 13 | Lexus RCCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 12.1% | 22.9% | 1,245 | 51,500 miles |
| 14 | Mazda MX-5Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 12.6% | 22.9% | 14,570 | 32,600 miles |
| 15 | Audi TTCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 12.8% | 22.9% | 29,427 | 51,500 miles |
| 16 | Jaguar XKCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 13.1% | 22.9% | 1,281 | 32,200 miles |
| 17 | Toyota GT86Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 13.7% | 22.9% | 2,908 | 47,900 miles |
| 18 | BMW M4Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 13.8% | 22.9% | 6,637 | 47,300 miles |
| 19 | BMW Z4Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 15.6% | 22.9% | 4,963 | 39,900 miles |
| 20 | BMW 6 Series (from 2004)Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 16.9% | 22.9% | 7,289 | 65,200 miles |
What stands out
- Porsche 911 has the lowest MOT fail rate in this list: 5.7% (n=6,995), against 22.9% for all cars that age.
- 27 of the 28 ranked sports cars fail less often than all cars at the same age.
- In the 20 shown, the fail rate runs from 5.7% to 16.9%.
- 5 other rows are within 2 points of the first, so read close positions as level rather than as a strict order.
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 22 September 2026.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources