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MOT advisory · manual section 6.2.2

Chassis condition or chassis corroded within 30cm of a mounting, but not seriously affecting overall security

What this MOT advisory 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

As an advisory, per 100 MOTs (n=130,233,413)0.12
Most often at25 years
Times recorded151,875

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 an advisory: the car passes its MOT, and the tester is warning about the part. An advisory is something the tester noticed that could become a defect later. The car passes its MOT. The advice is to monitor the part and repair it if it gets worse.

When it gets worse, the tester records it as a fail: Chassis condition or chassis has excessive corrosion, seriously affecting its strength within 30cm of a body mounting.

The tester looks at the body and underside for corrosion and damage, especially near the points where suspension, steering and seat belts are mounted, and checks the exhaust, fuel system, drive shafts and towbar.

The tester fails the car when the part reaches the point the MOT inspection manual describes (section 6.2.2):

Body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point

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.
ResultManual itemDVSA defect textRecords
AdvisoryChassis conditionor chassis corroded within 30cm of a mounting, but not seriously affecting overall security (6.2.2)151,875

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 25 years: 1.08 per 100 MOTs (n=313,355 tests at that age).

Per 100 MOT tests of cars at each age, all makes. We show no figure below 20 tests.
AgeAdvisory per 100Tests (n)
5 years0.0019,425,360
6 years0.00110,382,720
7 years0.00310,537,318
8 years0.00710,440,457
9 years0.0139,949,012
10 years0.0249,049,507
11 years0.0428,087,514
12 years0.0717,303,151
13 years0.116,612,160
14 years0.166,054,526
15 years0.235,591,675
16 years0.324,858,625
17 years0.424,040,458
18 years0.513,261,622
19 years0.622,479,858
20 years0.691,845,952
21 years0.781,321,417
22 years0.83913,980
23 years0.93619,531
24 years1.00428,815
25 years1.08313,355

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 an advisory, 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.
ModelPer 100 MOTs, at leastSame ages and fuelTimes as oftenTests (n)Ages
Suzuki JimnySuzuki Jimny corrosion welding repair Suzuki Jimny body and structure problems2.670.289.698,3083 to 25
Ford Ranger0.620.125.0426,5423 to 24
Toyota HiluxToyota Hilux corrosion welding repair0.920.194.9278,4013 to 25
Iveco DailyIveco Daily body and structure problems1.810.622.95,09216 to 19
Ford TransitFord Transit corrosion welding repair0.350.142.51,227,9543 to 25
Nissan PathfinderNissan Pathfinder body and structure problems0.830.332.423,53210 to 19
Mitsubishi Shogun SportMitsubishi Shogun Sport body and structure problems1.660.722.218,43916 to 21
Suzuki Grand VitaraSuzuki Grand Vitara corrosion welding repair Suzuki Grand Vitara body and structure problems0.700.352.089,8239 to 23
Toyota PreviaToyota Previa body and structure problems1.200.602.014,72217 to 23
Isuzu RodeoIsuzu Rodeo body and structure problems0.740.381.918,68112 to 19
Land Rover DiscoveryLand Rover Discovery body and structure problems0.630.371.7591,9563 to 25
Nissan NavaraNissan Navara corrosion welding repair0.160.101.5286,8203 to 21
Toyota Land CruiserToyota Land Cruiser body and structure problems0.960.681.478,2693 to 25
Ford KaFord Ka corrosion welding repair Ford Ka body and structure problems0.120.0861.3743,1903 to 23
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 corrosion welding repair.

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.

Corrosion welding repair: cost and the models that need it more often

Related MOT defects

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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 . Prices updated .

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