MOT advisory · manual section 8.4.1

Transmission 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)0.59

Most often at25 years

Times recorded773,418

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: Transmission oil leaking excessively from transmission.

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	Transmission oil leaks	leak, but not excessive (8.4.1)	773,418

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: 2.01 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.
Age	Advisory per 100	Tests (n)
3 years	0.081	8,016,463
4 years	0.11	8,699,937
5 years	0.16	9,425,360
6 years	0.23	10,382,720
7 years	0.29	10,537,318
8 years	0.35	10,440,457
9 years	0.43	9,949,012
10 years	0.51	9,049,507
11 years	0.63	8,087,514
12 years	0.76	7,303,151
13 years	0.88	6,612,160
14 years	0.99	6,054,526
15 years	1.09	5,591,675
16 years	1.17	4,858,625
17 years	1.26	4,040,458
18 years	1.34	3,261,622
19 years	1.40	2,479,858
20 years	1.50	1,845,952
21 years	1.61	1,321,417
22 years	1.71	913,980
23 years	1.83	619,531
24 years	1.91	428,815
25 years	2.01	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
LEVC TX	0.72	0.086	8.4	35,503	3 to 7
BMW M2	1.10	0.18	6.0	13,995	4 to 8
Jeep Cherokeefirst used 2014 or laterJeep Cherokee exhaust and emissions problems	2.10	0.43	4.8	21,172	6 to 11
London Taxis International TX4London Taxis International TX4 exhaust and emissions problems	2.56	0.57	4.4	53,539	5 to 16
Land Rover Defenderfirst used before 2020	5.09	1.16	4.3	291,433	6 to 25
SsangYong Rodius	1.62	0.37	4.3	8,586	5 to 9
BMW M4	0.80	0.21	3.8	47,927	3 to 10
MG HS	0.26	0.068	3.7	45,337	3 to 5
Alfa Romeo MitoAlfa Romeo Mito exhaust and emissions problems	2.69	0.74	3.6	78,902	5 to 16
BMW 4 Series	1.15	0.32	3.6	417,430	3 to 12
Jeep Cherokeefirst used before 2014Jeep Cherokee exhaust and emissions problems	4.77	1.46	3.2	26,264	15 to 25
BMW X4	0.90	0.29	3.1	65,595	3 to 10
Citroen Spacetourer	0.76	0.25	3.0	10,766	3 to 7
Fiat PuntoFiat Punto exhaust and emissions problems	3.06	1.01	3.0	310,264	5 to 23
Toyota ProaceToyota Proace exhaust and emissions problems	0.86	0.30	2.9	41,151	3 to 10
Mercedes-Benz GLE	0.78	0.27	2.8	113,268	3 to 10
Land Rover Range Rover SportLand Rover Range Rover Sport exhaust and emissions problems	1.54	0.54	2.8	498,033	3 to 20
Toyota Urban CruiserToyota Urban Cruiser exhaust and emissions problems	2.59	0.91	2.8	15,071	11 to 16
Fiat BravoFiat Bravo exhaust and emissions problems	3.03	1.06	2.8	20,980	12 to 17
SEAT ArosaSEAT Arosa exhaust and emissions problems	4.36	1.53	2.8	6,188	19 to 22

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

Oil leak, but not excessive4.59 per 100
Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction1.46 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
Oil leaking excessively from engine0.12 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

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

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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