MOT fail · manual section 1.1.13

Brake pad(s) less than 1.5 mm thick

What this MOT fail means, how often testers record it and what the usual repair costs. From 130,233,413 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

As a fail, per 100 MOTs (n=130,233,413)1.85

Most often at12 years

Times recorded2,406,789

Times recorded adds every DVSA code with this wording, so a test can record it more than once, for example on two wheels under separate codes.

What it means

This is a dangerous defect: the car fails its MOT. A dangerous defect is a direct and immediate risk to road safety or the environment. The car fails its MOT and should not be driven until it is repaired.

Before it reaches this point, testers often record it as an advisory: Brake pad(s) wearing thin.

The tester checks the pads, discs, drums, pipes, hoses and warning lamps, and measures the braking effort at each wheel. Wear and corrosion build up gradually, so brake items often appear as advisories before they become fails.

The MOT inspection manual describes the defect (section 1.1.13) as:

a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

Read this section of the MOT inspection manual on GOV.UK

The DVSA codes counted on this page: the manual item and the defect text as DVSA records them. The heading above joins the two, as a certificate does; the tester also adds the position, such as nearside front.
Result	Manual item	DVSA defect text	Records
Fail Dangerous	Brake pads	less than 1.5 mm thick (1.1.13)	2,406,789

Got an MOT advisory or defect on a certificate? Paste it into the MOT advisory checker to see what it means.

How common it is by age

Testers record it most at 12 years: 2.12 per 100 MOTs (n=7,303,151 tests at that age).

Per 100 MOT tests of cars at each age, all makes. We show no figure below 20 tests.
Age	Fail per 100	Tests (n)
3 years	0.96	8,016,463
4 years	1.27	8,699,937
5 years	1.66	9,425,360
6 years	1.90	10,382,720
7 years	1.97	10,537,318
8 years	2.00	10,440,457
9 years	2.05	9,949,012
10 years	2.09	9,049,507
11 years	2.12	8,087,514
12 years	2.12	7,303,151
13 years	2.10	6,612,160
14 years	2.07	6,054,526
15 years	2.04	5,591,675
16 years	1.98	4,858,625
17 years	1.93	4,040,458
18 years	1.83	3,261,622
19 years	1.70	2,479,858
20 years	1.61	1,845,952
21 years	1.47	1,321,417
22 years	1.32	913,980
23 years	1.20	619,531
24 years	1.01	428,815
25 years	0.89	313,355

Models that get it most

Each model generation is compared with cars of the same ages and fuel, so older and diesel models are not penalised for their age or fuel. Generations are never pooled.

Model generations with the highest rate as a fail, against cars of the same ages and fuel. A model’s figure counts this defect only at ages where it is among that model’s 25 most recorded items, and as zero elsewhere, so it is a floor. Tests (n) are all the generation’s MOT tests at ages with at least 1,000 tests each; at least 5,000 in total.
Model	Per 100 MOTs, at least	Same ages and fuel	Times as often	Tests (n)	Ages
Volvo XC40Volvo XC40 brake pad replacement Volvo XC40 brake problems	2.84	1.13	2.5	229,238	3 to 7
Volkswagen Taigo	2.20	0.88	2.4	5,647	3
Toyota Proace City	4.02	1.75	2.2	5,328	3 to 4
Toyota PreviaToyota Previa brake problems	3.62	1.60	2.2	14,722	17 to 23
Honda FR-VHonda FR-V brake problems	4.39	1.96	2.2	29,995	13 to 19
Fiat BravoFiat Bravo brake problems	4.45	2.00	2.2	20,980	12 to 17
SsangYong MussoSsangYong Musso brake problems	4.32	1.97	2.1	7,522	3 to 6
LEVC TXLEVC TX brake problems	1.03	0.47	2.1	35,503	3 to 7
Chevrolet OrlandoChevrolet Orlando brake problems	4.57	2.13	2.1	16,212	9 to 14
Kia CarensKia Carens brake pad replacement Kia Carens brake problems	4.62	2.18	2.1	59,911	4 to 17
SsangYong RextonSsangYong Rexton brake problems	4.54	2.15	2.1	9,823	3 to 9
Mitsubishi Space StarMitsubishi Space Star brake problems	3.41	1.65	2.0	5,331	18 to 21
Skoda KamiqSkoda Kamiq brake problems	2.27	1.11	2.0	47,898	3 to 5
Mazda 5Mazda 5 brake problems	4.01	1.96	2.0	44,929	8 to 18
Ford Grand C-MaxFord Grand C-Max brake pad replacement Ford Grand C-Max brake problems	4.40	2.18	2.0	145,176	3 to 14
Chevrolet LacettiChevrolet Lacetti brake problems	3.66	1.82	2.0	8,136	13 to 17
Citroen C4 Grand PicassoCitroen C4 Grand Picasso brake pad replacement Citroen C4 Grand Picasso brake problems	4.34	2.16	2.0	88,311	3 to 16
Nissan X-TrailNissan X-Trail brake pad replacement Nissan X-Trail brake problems	4.21	2.10	2.0	370,278	3 to 22
Chevrolet CruzeChevrolet Cruze brake problems	3.82	1.94	1.9	19,837	9 to 14
Volvo V40first used before 2012Volvo V40 brake problems	2.90	1.48	1.9	15,100	18 to 24

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.

Repair and cost

The usual repair is brake pad replacement.

No public source records the price of this whole job, and the time it takes varies from car to car, so we do not publish a single figure. Garages charge by the hour, so ask for a quote that lists labour time and parts. The rates below are what UK garages charge per hour.

Local garage labour, per hour (65 shops)£78

Local garage, middle half£70 to £96

Main dealer labour, per hour (62 shops)£156

Main dealer, middle half£144 to £174

Median hourly rate charged for car repairs, from 1,058 local garage and 953 main dealer price quotes collected by the ONS, September 2025 to August 2026. The same shops are priced each month, so the number of shops is the real sample.

Brake pad replacement: cost and the models that need it more often

Related MOT defects

Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened8.74 per 100
Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material3.80 per 100
Brake disc worn, but not excessively2.30 per 100
Service brake binding but not excessively1.59 per 100
Parking brake efficiency below requirements1.14 per 100
Service brake excessively binding0.82 per 100
Flexible brake hose has slight corrosion to ferrule0.78 per 100
Service brake fluctuating, but not excessively0.69 per 100
Brake pipe excessively corroded0.64 per 100
Brake disc significantly and obviously worn0.58 per 100

All brakes defects All MOT defects Car repair costs

Buying a used car?

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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, and the MOT inspection manual published on GOV.UK. Prices: ONS consumer price inflation price quotes, September 2025 to August 2026, UK.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026. Prices updated 22 September 2026.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA or the Office for National Statistics. How we calculate these figures · Data sources