MOT fail · manual section 4.1.6

Headlamp cleaning device for LED or HID headlamp inoperative

What this MOT fail means, how often testers record it and what garages charge per hour. 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)0.032

Most often at12 years

Times recorded42,301

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 major defect: the car fails its MOT. A major defect may affect the car’s safety, put other road users at risk or harm the environment. The car fails its MOT and the defect must be repaired.

Every lamp is checked for whether it works, its colour, its condition and its aim, along with the battery, wiring and dashboard warning lamps. Many lamp defects are quick fixes such as a bulb, but some point to a fault in a lamp unit or the wiring.

The MOT inspection manual describes the defect (section 4.1.6) as:

A headlamp cleaning device inoperative in the case of LED or gas discharge systems (HID)

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 Major	Headlamp cleaning device	for LED or HID headlamp inoperative (4.1.6)	42,301

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: 0.052 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	0.026	8,016,463
4 years	0.028	8,699,937
5 years	0.031	9,425,360
6 years	0.035	10,382,720
7 years	0.041	10,537,318
8 years	0.043	10,440,457
9 years	0.045	9,949,012
10 years	0.049	9,049,507
11 years	0.048	8,087,514
12 years	0.052	7,303,151
13 years	0.043	6,612,160
14 years	0.028	6,054,526
15 years	0.016	5,591,675
16 years	0.004	4,858,625

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
Jaguar XJJaguar XJ electrical and lighting problems	0.22	0.029	7.5	92,084	4 to 25
BMW 6 Series	0.29	0.041	7.1	89,667	3 to 20
Land Rover Range Rover VelarLand Rover Range Rover Velar electrical and lighting problems	0.28	0.043	6.6	125,495	3 to 8
Jaguar F-PaceJaguar F-Pace electrical and lighting problems	0.30	0.046	6.5	202,046	3 to 9
Volvo XC60Volvo XC60 electrical and lighting problems	0.28	0.053	5.2	433,710	3 to 16
Jaguar XFJaguar XF electrical and lighting problems	0.28	0.056	5.0	399,683	3 to 17
BMW X6	0.27	0.055	4.8	61,274	3 to 16
Audi TTAudi TT electrical and lighting problems	0.097	0.021	4.6	459,803	3 to 25
Kia SorentoKia Sorento electrical and lighting problems	0.22	0.049	4.5	147,328	3 to 20
Volvo XC40Volvo XC40 electrical and lighting problems	0.12	0.030	3.9	229,238	3 to 7
Volvo V60Volvo V60 electrical and lighting problems	0.20	0.055	3.5	152,693	3 to 14
BMW X5BMW X5 electrical and lighting problems	0.11	0.042	2.7	366,311	3 to 23
Volvo XC90Volvo XC90 electrical and lighting problems	0.12	0.043	2.6	282,309	3 to 21
Lexus NX	0.12	0.046	2.5	105,372	3 to 10
Audi Q3Audi Q3 electrical and lighting problems	0.11	0.043	2.5	499,272	3 to 13
Mitsubishi L200Mitsubishi L200 electrical and lighting problems	0.10	0.044	2.3	356,000	3 to 23
BMW X4BMW X4 electrical and lighting problems	0.090	0.050	1.8	65,595	3 to 10
Nissan NavaraNissan Navara electrical and lighting problems	0.084	0.050	1.7	286,820	3 to 21
Lexus ISLexus IS electrical and lighting problems	0.047	0.028	1.6	154,326	3 to 24
BMW 5 SeriesBMW 5 Series electrical and lighting problems	0.077	0.046	1.6	849,601	3 to 25

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

We do not map this defect to one repair job, because the fix depends on the cause. Garages charge by the hour, so ask for a quote that lists labour time and parts.

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.

Related MOT defects

Registration plate lamp inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources3.00 per 100
Position lamp not working2.54 per 100
Stop lamp not working1.94 per 100
Headlamp not working on dipped beam1.43 per 100
Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect1.29 per 100
Headlamp aim too low1.18 per 100
Registration plate lamp inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps1.09 per 100
Headlamp aim too high0.87 per 100
Headlamp lens slightly defective0.84 per 100
Individual direction indicator slightly discoloured0.83 per 100

All lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 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