Used car rankings from MOT data
Car makes ranked by MOT fails against cars the same age
We ranked 28 car makes by how often their models fail the MOT at 3 to 15 years old, each against all cars at the same ages. Vans and pickups are left out. From 93,824,639 DVSA MOT tests in Great Britain, 2022 to 2025.
MOT data updated
First in this list (n=293,386)9.2%
All cars, same ages21.2%
Difference57% lower
MOT tests used93,824,639
First in this list: Porsche.
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 at each age from 3 to 15 years, pooled, against all cars at the same ages.
- 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 counts towards its make only with at least 3 ages in this list, and a make needs at least 3 such model generations. A list is published only with at least 10 ranked rows.
- 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
| # | Make | MOT fail rate | All cars, same ages | Difference | Model generations | Tests (n) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PorschePorsche MOT fail rates by model | 9.2% | 21.2% | 57% lower | 3 | 293,386 |
| 2 | LexusLexus MOT fail rates by model | 13.5% | 23.7% | 43% lower | 5 | 442,932 |
| 3 | HondaHonda MOT fail rates by model | 20.9% | 27.5% | 24% lower | 6 | 2,497,812 |
| 4 | MINIMINI MOT fail rates by model | 19.4% | 24.3% | 20% lower | 4 | 2,619,891 |
| 5 | BMWBMW MOT fail rates by model | 19.4% | 23.8% | 19% lower | 16 | 6,014,008 |
| 6 | AudiAudi MOT fail rates by model | 19.8% | 24.3% | 19% lower | 12 | 5,809,112 |
| 7 | Land RoverLand Rover MOT fail rates by model | 19.6% | 23.8% | 18% lower | 8 | 2,810,611 |
| 8 | JaguarJaguar MOT fail rates by model | 18.7% | 21.9% | 15% lower | 7 | 1,008,449 |
| 9 | ToyotaToyota MOT fail rates by model | 21.1% | 24.6% | 14% lower | 10 | 4,505,254 |
| 10 | Mercedes-BenzMercedes-Benz MOT fail rates by model | 20.0% | 22.7% | 12% lower | 14 | 5,025,266 |
| 11 | SkodaSkoda MOT fail rates by model | 21.3% | 23.5% | 9% lower | 10 | 2,746,774 |
| 12 | VolkswagenVolkswagen MOT fail rates by model | 23.2% | 25.2% | 8% lower | 17 | 8,209,420 |
| 13 | SuzukiSuzuki MOT fail rates by model | 23.1% | 24.5% | 6% lower | 8 | 1,327,122 |
| 14 | MazdaMazda MOT fail rates by model | 23.9% | 25.2% | 5% lower | 7 | 1,647,466 |
| 15 | MitsubishiMitsubishi MOT fail rates by model | 22.6% | 23.3% | 3% lower | 6 | 542,817 |
| 16 | VolvoVolvo MOT fail rates by model | 22.7% | 23.5% | 3% lower | 13 | 1,811,321 |
| 17 | HyundaiHyundai MOT fail rates by model | 24.9% | 23.9% | 4% higher | 10 | 3,181,216 |
| 18 | SEATSEAT MOT fail rates by model | 24.2% | 22.7% | 7% higher | 8 | 1,943,441 |
| 19 | KiaKia MOT fail rates by model | 24.6% | 22.9% | 7% higher | 12 | 3,388,658 |
| 20 | FordFord MOT fail rates by model | 28.7% | 26.5% | 9% higher | 15 | 12,308,811 |
What stands out
- Porsche comes first: 9.2% against 21.2% for all cars at the same ages, 57% lower (n=293,386).
- 16 of the 28 ranked makes fail less often than all cars at the same ages.
- In the 20 shown, the difference from all cars runs from 57% lower to 9% higher.
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