MOT advisory · manual section 8.4.1

Oil leak, but not excessive

What this MOT advisory 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 an advisory, per 100 MOTs (n=130,233,413)4.59

Most often at23 years

Times recorded5,977,033

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: Oil leaking excessively from engine.

Exhaust emissions are measured against limits for the car’s age and fuel, and the car is checked for fluid leaks and excessive noise.

The tester fails the car when the part reaches the point the MOT inspection manual describes (section 8.4.1):

Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users

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
Advisory	Engine oil leaks	leak, but not excessive (8.4.1)	5,977,033

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 23 years: 15.2 per 100 MOTs (n=619,531 tests at that age).

Per 100 MOT tests of cars at each age, all makes. We show no figure below 20 tests.
Age	Advisory per 100	Tests (n)
3 years	0.25	8,016,463
4 years	0.39	8,699,937
5 years	0.61	9,425,360
6 years	0.94	10,382,720
7 years	1.35	10,537,318
8 years	1.84	10,440,457
9 years	2.53	9,949,012
10 years	3.41	9,049,507
11 years	4.55	8,087,514
12 years	5.98	7,303,151
13 years	7.20	6,612,160
14 years	8.53	6,054,526
15 years	9.76	5,591,675
16 years	10.7	4,858,625
17 years	11.7	4,040,458
18 years	12.6	3,261,622
19 years	13.2	2,479,858
20 years	14.1	1,845,952
21 years	14.8	1,321,417
22 years	15.1	913,980
23 years	15.2	619,531
24 years	15.1	428,815
25 years	14.9	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 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.
Model	Per 100 MOTs, at least	Same ages and fuel	Times as often	Tests (n)	Ages
MG HS	1.04	0.17	5.9	45,337	3 to 5
Chevrolet OrlandoChevrolet Orlando exhaust and emissions problems	24.7	5.30	4.6	16,212	9 to 14
Toyota ProaceToyota Proace exhaust and emissions problems	6.22	1.41	4.3	41,151	3 to 10
Vauxhall AntaraVauxhall Antara exhaust and emissions problems	19.3	4.68	4.1	83,963	7 to 16
MG ZSfirst used 2017 or later	1.01	0.26	3.9	143,170	3 to 7
Citroen Spacetourer	4.09	1.07	3.8	10,766	3 to 7
Jeep Compassfirst used 2017 or later	2.08	0.57	3.6	31,820	3 to 7
Chevrolet Lacetti	30.4	9.15	3.3	8,136	13 to 17
Chevrolet CruzeChevrolet Cruze exhaust and emissions problems	17.6	5.31	3.3	19,837	9 to 14
Maserati Levante	2.47	0.76	3.2	8,951	3 to 7
Vauxhall MokkaVauxhall Mokka exhaust and emissions problems	5.30	1.68	3.1	930,592	3 to 12
Fiat Fiorino	10.7	3.43	3.1	32,190	3 to 14
Chevrolet CaptivaChevrolet Captiva exhaust and emissions problems	22.0	7.03	3.1	25,550	9 to 16
Citroen DispatchCitroen Dispatch exhaust and emissions problems	13.1	4.43	2.9	189,276	3 to 21
SEAT Toledofirst used 2012 or laterSEAT Toledo exhaust and emissions problems	5.74	2.03	2.8	20,583	4 to 11
London Taxis International TX4London Taxis International TX4 exhaust and emissions problems	12.0	4.46	2.6	53,539	5 to 16
Peugeot ExpertPeugeot Expert exhaust and emissions problems	11.3	4.37	2.5	218,991	3 to 21
Vauxhall Crossland	1.12	0.44	2.5	229,410	3 to 8
Mercedes-Benz R-Class	22.1	9.10	2.4	6,031	12 to 16
Citroen Nemo	13.6	5.62	2.4	57,536	6 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

Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction1.46 per 100
Transmission oil leak, but not excessive0.59 per 100
Petrol exhaust Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits0.52 per 100
Emissions not tested unable to be completed0.29 per 100
Diesel exhaust emissions exceed manufacturer's specified limit0.26 per 100
Petrol exhaust carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits0.20 per 100
Petrol exhaust emissions likely to be affected by an exhaust leak0.12 per 100
Petrol exhaust carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds default limits0.12 per 100
Emissions not tested0.11 per 100
Petrol exhaust carbon monoxide content at idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits0.088 per 100

All nuisance: noise, emissions and leaks defects All MOT defects Car repair costs

Buying a used car?

These figures describe all cars, not any one car. Found one you might buy? See what the VetTheCar Buying Report would tell you.

See an example report MOT fail rates by model All free tools

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