MOT fail · manual section 5.2.3

Tyre pressure monitoring system malfunctioning or obviously inoperative

What this MOT fail 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 28 September 2026

As a fail, per 100 MOTs (n=130,233,413)0.38

Most often at9 years

Times recorded496,478

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.

Tyres are checked for tread depth, cuts, bulges, exposed cords and other damage. For a car, the legal minimum tread depth is 1.6mm across the central three-quarters of the tread, around the whole tyre.

The MOT inspection manual describes the defect (section 5.2.3) as:

A tyre pressure monitoring system malfunctioning or obviously inoperative

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	Tyre pressure monitoring system	malfunctioning or obviously inoperative (5.2.3)	496,478

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 9 years: 0.86 per 100 MOTs (n=9,949,012 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	0.29	8,016,463
4 years	0.34	8,699,937
5 years	0.42	9,425,360
6 years	0.53	10,382,720
7 years	0.69	10,537,318
8 years	0.81	10,440,457
9 years	0.86	9,949,012
10 years	0.74	9,049,507
11 years	0.36	8,087,514
12 years	0.091	7,303,151
13 years	0.040	6,612,160
14 years	0.002	6,054,526
15 years	0.002	5,591,675
16 years	0.002	4,858,625
17 years	0.002	4,040,458
18 years	0.001	3,261,622
19 years	0.001	2,479,858

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
Vauxhall VivaVauxhall Viva tyre pressure sensor replacement Vauxhall Viva tyre problems	2.94	0.67	4.4	154,054	3 to 10
MG HSMG HS tyre problems	1.27	0.30	4.1	45,337	3 to 5
MG 6MG 6 tyre problems	2.84	0.69	4.1	5,526	8 to 11
MG GSMG GS tyre problems	2.39	0.59	4.0	10,561	4 to 8
Hyundai VelosterHyundai Veloster tyre problems	1.64	0.41	4.0	10,010	9 to 13
Ford Tourneo CustomFord Tourneo Custom tyre problems	1.26	0.35	3.5	29,283	3 to 7
Jeep RenegadeJeep Renegade tyre pressure sensor replacement Jeep Renegade tyre problems	2.27	0.64	3.5	110,103	3 to 10
Hyundai ix35Hyundai ix35 tyre pressure sensor replacement Hyundai ix35 tyre problems	1.76	0.52	3.3	209,126	7 to 15
Ford Grand C-MaxFord Grand C-Max tyre pressure sensor replacement Ford Grand C-Max tyre problems	1.50	0.52	2.8	145,176	3 to 14
Mercedes-Benz VitoMercedes-Benz Vito tyre pressure sensor replacement Mercedes-Benz Vito tyre problems	1.00	0.35	2.8	350,481	3 to 22
Mercedes-Benz X-ClassMercedes-Benz X-Class tyre problems	1.08	0.40	2.6	14,314	3 to 7
Vauxhall AstraVauxhall Astra tyre pressure sensor replacement Vauxhall Astra tyre problems	0.88	0.34	2.5	2,724,083	3 to 25
Jeep Cherokeefirst used 2014 or laterJeep Cherokee tyre problems	1.78	0.70	2.5	21,172	6 to 11
MG 3MG 3 tyre pressure sensor replacement MG 3 tyre problems	1.43	0.57	2.5	81,125	3 to 11
Vauxhall MokkaVauxhall Mokka tyre pressure sensor replacement Vauxhall Mokka tyre problems	1.57	0.63	2.4	930,592	3 to 12
Ford Tourneo ConnectFord Tourneo Connect tyre pressure sensor replacement Ford Tourneo Connect tyre problems	1.32	0.53	2.4	51,802	3 to 10
MG ZSfirst used 2017 or laterMG ZS tyre pressure sensor replacement MG ZS tyre problems	0.90	0.41	2.1	143,170	3 to 7
Hyundai i800Hyundai i800 tyre problems	0.95	0.44	2.1	32,058	3 to 14
Suzuki BalenoSuzuki Baleno tyre problems	1.31	0.61	2.1	26,797	3 to 9
Ford C-MaxFord C-Max tyre pressure sensor replacement Ford C-Max tyre problems	0.74	0.35	2.1	527,219	3 to 21

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 tyre pressure sensor replacement.

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.

Tyre pressure sensor replacement: cost and the models that need it more often

Related MOT defects

Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge18.0 per 100
Tyre slightly damaged/cracking or perishing8.49 per 100
Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm2.40 per 100
Tyre has a cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords1.35 per 100
Tyre has ply or cords exposed1.34 per 100
Tyre has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords1.31 per 100
Tyre slightly damaged0.65 per 100
Tyre has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure0.56 per 100
Tyre has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure0.44 per 100
Tyre obviously under inflated0.20 per 100

All axles, wheels, tyres and suspension 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