MOT Myths, Busted by the Data
Does higher mileage mean more failures - or does age matter more?
Mileage. It correlates far more strongly with MOT failure rate (r=0.77) than a car’s age does (r=0.56) - a high-mileage young car is a bigger red flag than an older car with modest miles.
Is "German-engineered" reflected in MOT pass rates, or just a stereotype?
Partly true. German-brand cars average a 15.3% MOT failure rate, beating the 17.8% national car average. But Japanese-brand cars - often assumed to be just as strong - average 18%, worse than German brands on this measure.
Note: Makes are classified by well-known brand origin (e.g. Volkswagen, BMW = German), not a field in the DVSA data itself.
Do diesel cars fail their MOT less often than petrol?
No - diesel cars actually fail more often. Diesel has a 19.2% MOT failure rate, compared to 17.5% for petrol, reversing the common assumption that diesels are the more dependable choice.
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