Buying Report · £14.99
Tools

MOT data by first-use year

2018 Tesla Model X: MOT fail rate and common problems

DVSA MOT tests 2022–2025 · 5,603 MOT tests · Updated

20.6% of 2018 Tesla Model X cars failed their MOT at 7 years; measured against vehicles the same age and test year, about the same as the 2017 and 2019 cars (5,603 MOT tests) [1].

Buying Report £14.99 incl. VAT · one car · no subscription · Not a mechanical inspection.

  • +1.4 to +1.6 points: the gap to all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year, from 4 to 7 years, 5,603 MOT tests
  • 60,000 to 90,000 miles: 20.9% of Tesla Model X cars first used 2017–2018 failed at 7 years, against 20.0% at 30,000 to 60,000 miles, 2,496 MOT tests
  • At 7 years (tested 2025): 20.6% failed, against 19.0% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 7 years in 2025, 1,434 MOT tests

Engine, fuel and mileage decide where one vehicle sits within these figures. Check the reg first.

Figures are for 2018 Tesla Model X cars as a group, not for one car.

Fail rate at 7 years (2025)
20.6%
vs 19.0% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 7 years in 2025
1,434 MOT tests
Gap to all class 4, same age and year
+2.0 pts
over ages 4–7: +1.4 to +2.9 pts
5,603 MOT tests
Against the 2017 and 2019 cars
+1.2 pts
95% range −1.4 to +3.8 pts, same ages, each against its own test year
5,603 MOT tests
MOT tests of 2018 cars
5,603
tested 2022–2025, 4 ages with 1,000+ tests
5,603 MOT tests

About the same as the 2017 and 2019 cars: +1.2 points at the same ages (4–7), each year against all class 4 vehicles the same age tested in its own year; 95% range −1.4 to +3.8, from 5,603 MOT tests of 2018 cars and 9,727 of the 2017 and 2019 cars. Not adjusted for mileage.

Every Tesla Model X year against all class 4 vehicles the same age

Tesla Model X first-use years against all class 4 vehicles the same ageEach first-use year of the Tesla Model X as percentage points above or below all class 4 vehicles the same age, averaged over the ages it was tested at, with 95% intervals. 2018: +2.0 pts. 2017: −0.4 pts (−1.2 to +0.5) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 5–8, 8,168 MOT tests20172018: +2.0 pts (+1.0 to +3.1) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 4–7, 5,603 MOT tests2018+2.02019: +3.0 pts (+1.9 to +4.0) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 3–6, 4,704 MOT tests20192020: +5.6 pts (+4.5 to +6.8) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 3–5, 4,153 MOT tests2020 −6.80+6.8 pts
Percentage points above (right) or below (left) all class 4 vehicles the same age, tested in the same year, 2022 to 2025, each year averaged over the ages it was tested at. Lines show the 95% range.

2018 Tesla Model X fail rate at each MOT

From 2022 to 2025, as these cars went from 4 to 7 years old, the fail rate went from 15.1% to 20.6%, and the gap to all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year from +1.4 to +1.6 points. The widest gap was at 6 years (+2.9 points, 1,425 MOT tests).

Test yearAgeFail rate95% rangeMOT testsAll class 4, same age and yearGap
20224 years15.1%13.3%–17.1%1,36613.7%+1.4 pts
20235 years17.9%16.0%–20.0%1,37815.7%+2.2 pts
20246 years20.3%18.3%–22.4%1,42517.4%+2.9 pts
20257 years20.6%18.6%–22.8%1,43419.0%+1.6 pts

All class 4: every class 4 vehicle (cars and light vans) tested at that age in the same test year.

2018 against the 2017 and 2019 cars, age by age

Age2018Years either side
4 years15.1% 1,366 MOT tests, tested 20222019: 14.7% (1,178, tested 2023)
5 years17.9% 1,378 MOT tests, tested 20232017: 16.0% (2,012, tested 2022)
2019: 19.3% (1,205, tested 2024)
6 years20.3% 1,425 MOT tests, tested 20242017: 17.3% (2,057, tested 2023)
2019: 20.3% (1,232, tested 2025)
7 years20.6% 1,434 MOT tests, tested 20252017: 20.1% (2,043, tested 2024)

Each year was tested in a different calendar year; the verdict compares each against all class 4 vehicles the same age tested in its own year.

What fails on a Tesla Model X at 7 years

All Tesla Model X MOTs at 7 years, cars first used 2017–2018 (3,518 MOT tests; DVSA item counts are not split by first-use year). The most common fail items: tyre with cords exposed (5.6 per 100 MOT tests, a wear item), tyre tread below 1.6 mm (3.4 per 100 MOT tests, a wear item) and wipers not clearing screen (2.7 per 100 MOT tests, a wear item).

No item fails at a clearly different rate from all class 4 vehicles the same age across 3 or more ages.

Mileage and the fail rate at 7 years

Tesla Model X cars first used 2017–2018 at 60,000 to 90,000 miles failed 20.9% of MOTs at 7 years (1,264 MOT tests), against 20.0% at 30,000 to 60,000 miles (1,232 MOT tests). All class 4 vehicles: 24.2% and 19.2%.

Car tax and ULEZ for a 2018 car

A car first registered in the UK in 2018 was issued a 67 (January–February), 18 (March–August) or 68 (September–December) plate, unless it was registered in Northern Ireland (no age identifier) or has since moved to a private plate. An imported one is plated when first registered here, so its plate can be newer than its first-use year. 18 plates

A 2018 car pays the standard rate after its first year. Electric cars have paid vehicle tax since 1 April 2025; the expensive car supplement does not apply to electric cars registered before that date. [2] Car tax calculator for a 2018 electric car

Fully electric cars do not pay the London ULEZ charge. [3] ULEZ checker

Buying a Tesla Model X? Check that exact car before the viewing.

Buying Report £14.99 incl. VAT · one car · no subscription · Not a mechanical inspection.

  • Model risks for this year and fuel
  • What similar cars did at their next MOT
  • Repairs ahead
  • Viewing checklist

See a sample report

Other Tesla Model X years

  • 2017
  • 2018
  • 2019
  • 2020

Every Tesla Model X first-use year

Questions people ask

What is the MOT fail rate of a 2018 Tesla Model X?

20.6% at 7 years (tested 2025), from 1,434 MOT tests, against 19.0% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 7 years in 2025.

Does the 2018 Tesla Model X fail more MOTs than the 2017 and 2019?

1.2 percentage points apart at the same ages (4–7), each against all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year, from 5,603 MOT tests (95% range −1.4 to +3.8), so about the same.

At what ages were 2018 Tesla Model X cars MOT tested in the data?

4 ages with at least 1,000 MOT tests: 4–7 years, tested 2022–2025, 5,603 MOT tests in all.

What fails most on a Tesla Model X at 7 years?

5.6 in 100 MOT tests failed on tyre with cords exposed, the most common fail item (a wear item); the most common non-wear item was suspension ball joint worn (1.4 in 100). From 3,518 MOT tests of Tesla Model X cars first used 2017–2018, not only 2018.

Sources

  1. Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2022 to 2025. DVSA MOT data, Open Government Licence v3.0, 5,603 MOT tests. Accessed 7 Oct 2026.
  2. GOV.UK, Vehicle tax rates. Rules, not drawn from the MOT data.
  3. Transport for London, Ultra Low Emission Zone. Rules, not drawn from the MOT data.

Cars tested at 7 years are compared with every class 4 vehicle tested at 7 years in the same test year. These rates are not adjusted for mileage. Breakdowns and non-MOT faults are not in this data. How we compare