MOT minor defect · manual section 4.1.1

Headlamp lens slightly defective

What this MOT minor defect 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 minor defect, per 100 MOTs (n=130,233,413)0.84

Most often at19 years

Times recorded1,100,204

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 minor defect: the car passes its MOT and the defect is recorded. A minor defect has no significant effect on safety or the environment. The car passes its MOT and the defect is recorded on the certificate. It should be repaired as soon as possible.

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 it (section 4.1.1) as:

Headlamp reflector or lens slightly defective

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
Minor defect	Headlamp	lens slightly defective (4.1.1)	1,100,204

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 19 years: 4.26 per 100 MOTs (n=2,479,858 tests at that age).

Per 100 MOT tests of cars at each age, all makes. We show no figure below 20 tests.
Age	Minor defect per 100	Tests (n)
3 years	0.017	8,016,463
4 years	0.021	8,699,937
5 years	0.029	9,425,360
6 years	0.036	10,382,720
7 years	0.050	10,537,318
8 years	0.080	10,440,457
9 years	0.13	9,949,012
10 years	0.23	9,049,507
11 years	0.40	8,087,514
12 years	0.62	7,303,151
13 years	0.93	6,612,160
14 years	1.33	6,054,526
15 years	1.97	5,591,675
16 years	2.82	4,858,625
17 years	3.66	4,040,458
18 years	4.18	3,261,622
19 years	4.26	2,479,858
20 years	4.06	1,845,952
21 years	3.77	1,321,417
22 years	3.31	913,980
23 years	2.81	619,531
24 years	2.16	428,815
25 years	1.59	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 minor defect, 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
Nissan NV200Nissan NV200 electrical and lighting problems	1.78	0.24	7.4	122,396	3 to 15
Honda HR-Vfirst used 2015 or laterHonda HR-V electrical and lighting problems	0.27	0.049	5.3	124,839	3 to 10
Fiat FiorinoFiat Fiorino electrical and lighting problems	1.25	0.29	4.3	32,190	3 to 14
Peugeot BipperPeugeot Bipper electrical and lighting problems	2.05	0.55	3.7	82,778	5 to 16
Mazda 2Mazda 2 electrical and lighting problems	3.05	0.84	3.6	509,644	3 to 21
Toyota Urban CruiserToyota Urban Cruiser electrical and lighting problems	4.23	1.21	3.4	15,071	11 to 16
Isuzu TFIsuzu TF electrical and lighting problems	2.52	0.73	3.4	6,237	11 to 14
Vauxhall InsigniaVauxhall Insignia electrical and lighting problems	1.22	0.37	3.2	834,880	3 to 16
Peugeot 5008Peugeot 5008 electrical and lighting problems	0.65	0.20	3.2	130,903	3 to 15
Citroen NemoCitroen Nemo electrical and lighting problems	2.02	0.66	3.0	57,536	6 to 16
MG 3MG 3 electrical and lighting problems	0.18	0.062	2.8	81,125	3 to 11
Fiat QuboFiat Qubo electrical and lighting problems	1.88	0.68	2.7	14,059	9 to 15
Peugeot 2008Peugeot 2008 electrical and lighting problems	0.22	0.080	2.7	496,383	3 to 12
Mazda 6Mazda 6 electrical and lighting problems	2.00	0.81	2.4	259,157	3 to 20
Toyota VersoToyota Verso electrical and lighting problems	1.26	0.52	2.4	112,639	5 to 16
Fiat BravoFiat Bravo electrical and lighting problems	4.66	1.92	2.4	20,980	12 to 17
Nissan PixoNissan Pixo electrical and lighting problems	2.97	1.24	2.3	46,726	10 to 16
Honda FR-VHonda FR-V electrical and lighting problems	6.80	2.89	2.3	29,995	13 to 19
Chevrolet KalosChevrolet Kalos electrical and lighting problems	8.00	3.41	2.3	9,354	15 to 18
Honda Insightfirst used 2009 or laterHonda Insight electrical and lighting problems	4.04	1.74	2.3	34,023	10 to 16

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
Individual direction indicator slightly discoloured0.83 per 100
Headlamp has a product on the lens but not seriously reducing light output0.74 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