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MOT pass rates

MOT pass rate in Cleveland (TS)

In 2025, 71.5% of MOT tests in the Cleveland (TS) postcode area were passed first time, 0.8 points below the Great Britain rate of 72.3%. From 304,275 DVSA MOT tests of cars and light vans aged 3 to 25 years. The TS area takes in post towns including Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees and Hartlepool.

MOT data updated

Pass rate, TS (n=304,275)71.5%
Great Britain (n=32,619,595)72.3%
Difference−0.8 pts
Position, highest pass rate first66thof 118 areas

Adjusted for vehicle age, the pass rate is 71.0% (74th of 118 areas), against 72.3% for Great Britain. Cars tested here are on average 0.4 years younger than the GB average (10.0 against 10.4 years).

Pass rate by age

Cleveland (TS) against Great Britain, 2025. Age bands with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
AgeTS pass rateTests (n)Great BritainDifference
3 to 5 years87.4%51,52787.2%+0.2 pts
6 to 8 years79.9%71,39180.9%−1.0 pts
9 to 11 years69.5%77,41871.9%−2.4 pts
12 to 14 years61.2%52,38663.7%−2.5 pts
15 to 25 years57.7%51,55358.2%−0.5 pts

What cars fail on

Tests with at least one dangerous or major defect in each part of the car, per 100 MOT tests. One test can count under several parts.

Fail reasons per 100 tests, TS (n=304,275) against Great Britain, 2025.
Part of the carTSTests with itGreat Britain
Suspension10.732,5469.0
Lights and electrics9.629,12410.6
Brakes7.823,6436.2
Tyres5.616,9226.3
Visibility4.012,1034.3
Body and structure3.911,7653.2
Emissions and leaks3.19,4673.1
Steering2.37,1381.9
Seat belts and airbags0.82,4810.9
Road wheels0.41,3230.4
Number plates and VIN0.38400.3

Most tested models

Models with at least 1,000 MOT tests in TS in 2025. Pass rates are not adjusted for age or mileage.
ModelTests (n)SharePass rateMore
Ford Fiesta11,7293.9%63.7%ProblemsRecallsULEZ
Vauxhall Corsa10,5343.5%65.1%ProblemsRecallsULEZ
Ford Focus8,3082.7%69.0%ProblemsRecallsULEZ
Vauxhall Astra7,1052.3%65.4%ProblemsRecallsULEZ
Volkswagen Golf6,7352.2%76.3%ProblemsRecallsULEZ
Nissan Qashqai6,5372.1%66.0%ProblemsRecallsULEZ
MINI Cooper and One5,3471.8%79.0%ProblemsRecallsULEZ
BMW 3 Series4,5931.5%77.9%ProblemsRecallsULEZ
Nissan Juke4,4171.5%63.5%ProblemsRecallsULEZ
Mercedes-Benz A-Class4,3431.4%77.3%ProblemsRecallsULEZ
Read this with care. An area pass rate reflects the cars tested there: their age, mileage and upkeep, the share of vans and work vehicles, and local roads and weather. It is not a measure of the test centres. Methodology.

Other areas

Near Cleveland in the ranking:

Every postcode area · Methodology · Number plate area codes

Found one you might buy? Vet the specific car.

An area figure says nothing about one car. Its MOT history does: every test, defect, advisory and mileage reading. The VetTheCar Buying Report puts it together with running costs before you pay.

See a sample Buying Report MOT fail rates by model

Source

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal tests, 2025. MOT data updated 17 September 2026.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources