Common problems
Aston Martin Vantage common problems
What MOT testers find on the Aston Martin Vantage: the parts that fail or get advisories most often at each age, against all cars of the same age. From 31,200 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.
MOT data updated
At 16 years, the most tested age
What stands out
- No part area of the Aston Martin Vantage fails more than 1 point per 100 MOTs above all cars at 16 years old (n=3,314; all cars n=4,858,625).
- Lights and electrics fails are less common: 3.3 per 100 MOTs against 20.4 for all cars at the same age.
- The fail item testers record most often at 16 years: malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction, on 1.6 per 100 MOTs (all cars 1.9).
- The most common advisory or minor defect: tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing, on 6.6 per 100 MOTs.
Problems by part at 16 years
How many of every 100 MOTs found a fail, or an advisory or minor defect, in each area. A test with faults in two areas counts in both.
| Area | Fails | All cars | Advisories | All cars |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lights and electrics | 3.3 | 20.4 | 2.0 | 15.3 |
| Exhaust, emissions and leaks | 1.9 | 6.2 | 2.4 | 12.0 |
| Brakes | 1.7 | 11.6 | 10.5 | 29.5 |
| Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 1.7 | 6.8 | 2.3 | 5.7 |
| Suspension | 1.6 | 17.1 | 4.0 | 33.7 |
| Tyres | 1.5 | 7.5 | 13.3 | 28.4 |
| Number plates and VIN | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 4.8 |
| Seat belts and airbags | 0.2 | 2.1 | 2.4 | 1.1 |
| Steering | 0.2 | 3.4 | 0.5 | 4.6 |
| Road wheels | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 1.5 |
| Body and structure | 0.1 | 7.6 | 0.5 | 12.6 |
What testers fail most on the Vantage at 16 years
| Item | Area | Per 100 MOTs | All cars | Typical repair (estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction | Exhaust, emissions and leaks | 1.6 | 1.9 | diagnosis from £39 (rough guide) |
| Coil spring broken | Suspension | 1.4 | 3.9 | £64 to £236 per spring (rough guide) |
| Wipers not clearing screen | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 0.7 | 2.6 | £15 to £30 per blade |
| Washers: not working | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 0.6 | 1.2 | £28 to £118 per car (rough guide) |
| Headlamp aim: too low | Lights and electrics | 0.6 | 1.7 | £16 to £39 per car (rough guide) |
Early warnings: advisories and minor defects at 16 years
Advisories and minor defects are recorded, but the car still passes. Across all cars, a part with an advisory or minor defect failed at the next MOT 5.5 times in 100 (n=88,666,940 pairs of consecutive MOTs), against 0.3 times in 100 when the same part had none (n=12,936,860,350).
| Item | Area | Per 100 MOTs | All cars | If it needs replacing (estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing | Tyres | 6.6 | 9.5 | £88 to £145 per tyre |
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge | Tyres | 6.3 | 18.2 | £88 to £145 per tyre |
| Brake pads: wearing thin | Brakes | 4.2 | 6.8 | £72 to £174 per axle (rough guide) |
| Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material | Brakes | 2.5 | 8.8 | £137 to £392 per car (rough guide) |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened | Brakes | 2.5 | 11.2 | £148 to £376 per axle (rough guide) |
| Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive | Exhaust, emissions and leaks | 2.4 | 10.7 | |
| Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil | Suspension | 2.4 | 4.1 | £122 to £484 per axle (pair) (rough guide) |
| Flexible brake hoses: has slight corrosion to ferrule | Brakes | 1.9 | 2.1 | |
| Seat belt condition: webbing slightly damaged or frayed | Seat belts and airbags | 1.8 | 0.4 | |
| Wipers: blade defective | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 1.1 | 1.3 |
Repair estimates are a guide for an independent garage: labour at the national median local garage rate (median £78 an hour from 65 garages, ONS price quotes) times estimated labour hours, plus a parts band. Labour hours and most parts bands are estimates, not quotes, and prices vary by model, engine and region. A warning light fault shows the cost of the diagnosis only.
How problems change with age
| Age | Tests (n) | Lights and electrics | Exhaust, emissions and leaks | Brakes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 years | 1,643 | 2.0 | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| 4 years | 1,780 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| 5 years | 1,727 | 1.8 | 0.9 | 0.2 |
| 6 years | 1,902 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 0.4 |
| 7 years | 1,577 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 0.8 |
| 8 years | 1,439 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 0.8 |
| 9 years | 1,493 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 0.5 |
| 10 years | 1,410 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 0.9 |
| 11 years | 1,326 | 3.5 | 1.4 | 0.8 |
| 12 years | 1,339 | 3.7 | 1.4 | 0.7 |
| 13 years | 1,479 | 3.9 | 1.9 | 0.7 |
| 14 years | 1,843 | 3.4 | 1.3 | 0.9 |
| 15 years | 2,477 | 3.3 | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| 16 years | 3,314 | 3.3 | 1.9 | 1.7 |
| 17 years | 2,918 | 3.4 | 1.6 | 1.8 |
| 18 years | 2,241 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 2.1 |
| 19 years | 1,292 | 4.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
What to check on a viewing
On the Aston Martin Vantage, testers most often record malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction; coil spring broken; wipers not clearing screen. Look at these first, then the areas below.
Lights and electrics
- With someone outside, try every light: dipped and main beam, indicators, brake lights, fog lights and number plate lamps.
- Check that the warning lights come on with the ignition and go out once the engine runs.
- Look for misted, cracked or yellowed headlamp lenses.
Exhaust, emissions and leaks
- Start the engine from cold if you can and watch the exhaust for blue or black smoke.
- Check that the engine warning light goes out after starting and stays out on the test drive.
- Look under the car and around the engine for oil or fluid leaks, and listen for a blowing exhaust.
Brakes
- On the test drive the car should stop in a straight line without pulling, juddering or grinding.
- Look at the discs through the wheels for a deep lip, heavy rust or scoring.
- Check that the handbrake or electronic parking brake holds the car on a slope.
- Ask when the pads, discs and brake fluid were last changed, and for the receipts.
Ask for the car's MOT history and service record: advisories that repeat from one year to the next show what has been left. GOV.UK MOT history.
Questions
What are the most common problems on the Aston Martin Vantage?
At 16 years, the age with the most MOT tests (3,314), the fail items testers record most often on the Aston Martin Vantage are malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction (1.6 per 100 MOTs), coil spring broken (1.4 per 100 MOTs), wipers not clearing screen (0.7 per 100 MOTs). The most common advisories or minor defects are tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing (6.6) and tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (6.3).
Which parts of the Aston Martin Vantage fail more often than on other cars?
None by more than 1 point per 100 MOTs at 16 years, compared with 4,858,625 MOTs of all cars the same age.
More on the Aston Martin Vantage
Other Aston Martin models
The all cars figures cover all class 4 vehicles (cars and light vans) tested at the same age.
Looking at a Aston Martin Vantage?
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Repair estimates: ONS consumer price quotes for local garage labour (09/2025 to 08/2026), the MOT inspection manual for defect wording, and estimated labour hours and parts bands. Not affiliated with or endorsed by ONS.
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. MOT data updated 28 September 2026.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources