Buying a car
What to look for in an MOT history
The MOT history is free to read and says more about a used car than most adverts. We followed 1.7 million cars from one MOT to the next to find out which entries on the record turn out to matter.
Updated
What should I look for in an MOT history?
Look past the length of the list to what is on it. In our count of DVSA records, a brake pipe advisory made a brake pipe failure at the next MOT about 20 times as likely as on a car without one. A tyre advisory made a tyre failure less than twice as likely.
Which advisories turn into failures
We took every car that passed its MOT first time in March 2024 and found the same car’s next MOT in February or March 2025. That gave us 1,731,938 cars. For each area of the car we compared cars that left the first test with an advisory there against cars with nothing noted there. Then we counted how many in each group had a fault in that area bad enough to fail the next test.
| Area of the car | Failed there a year later, after an advisory | Failed there a year later, with nothing noted | Times as likely |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brake pipes and hoses | 7.3% | 0.4% | 19.6 |
| Oil and fluid leaks | 1.0% | 0.1% | 12.4 |
| Steering | 14.1% | 1.2% | 12.0 |
| Exhaust | 6.6% | 0.6% | 11.8 |
| Body, chassis and structure | 8.8% | 1.3% | 6.9 |
| Lights and electrics | 22.0% | 7.2% | 3.0 |
| Suspension | 16.2% | 5.6% | 2.9 |
| Brake pads, discs and other brake parts | 8.8% | 3.7% | 2.4 |
| Tyres | 8.3% | 4.6% | 1.8 |
The advisories that pointed most strongly to a failure were on parts that shouldn’t simply wear out: brake pipes, steering, the exhaust and the structure of the car. Tyres and brake pads wear on every car. An advisory on them made a failure only about twice as likely.
Plenty of advisories were just still there a year later. Of the cars with a brake pipe advisory, 48.1% had one again at the next test without failing on it. For suspension it was 41.5%.
DVSA: Anonymised MOT tests and resultsOpen the free MOT check
Wear and tear or a warning sign
A long list of advisories looks bad to anyone who doesn’t know cars. Most of it is usually wear and tear. What matters is which part each line is about.
| On the MOT | What it usually means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Tyres, brake pads, discs, wiper blades and bulbs | Wear and tear. Every car gets through these. | Expect to replace them in time. Look at the tyres at the viewing. |
| Suspension joints, bushes and shock absorbers | Age and use. Worth checking, more so if the same line repeats. | Ask whether the work was done after the test. |
| Brake pipes, steering and the exhaust | A part that shouldn’t be wearing out. The strongest warning in our count. | Ask for the invoice for the repair. Without one, treat it as still to do. |
| Corrosion on sills, subframes or the floor | Rust in the structure that holds the car together. | Have it looked at before you buy. Structural repairs are rarely small jobs. |
| Oil leaks | Rarely a failure on its own: about 1 car in 100 with a leak advisory failed on a leak a year later. | Ask where it comes from and whether it has been fixed. |
Our free check reads a car’s MOT history the same way. Every item on it is marked wear and tear, worth checking or needs attention.
Run the free MOT checkWhat an MOT advisory meansGOV.UK: MOT changes from 20 May 2018
Seven things to look for
- Read the oldest test first. A history makes more sense as a story than as a list.
- Sort the advisories into wear and warnings. Tyres and pads are wear. Brake pipes, steering, the exhaust and the structure are warnings.
- Look for an advisory that comes back. The same line at test after test means nobody dealt with it.
- Look for an advisory that became a failure. It suggests the owner waited for the MOT to force the repair.
- Follow the mileage. It should climb at every test. In our count only about 1 car in 650 showed a lower reading a year later, so a drop is worth a question.
- Look for a missing year. A gap can mean the car stood unused or was declared off the road. Ask why.
- Check when the MOT runs out. An advisory left on the last test is a repair you may pay for at the next one.
Check the mileage recordCheck whether a car is SORNFind when the MOT runs out
How far a typical car goes between tests
Across the cars we followed, the typical car covered 5,800 miles between one MOT and the next. One in four did fewer than 3,300 miles. One in four did more than 9,100.
A reading well outside that range isn’t a fault. It is a reason to ask how the car was used.
What an MOT history can’t tell you
An MOT checks the parts it tests on the day of the test. GOV.UK says the test does not cover the condition of the engine, clutch or gearbox. DVSA’s own notes on its MOT data say a certificate is not evidence of a car’s general mechanical condition.
The history also leaves out outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and stolen records. Those sit in other records.
Our check does not look for outstanding safety recalls. GOV.UK has a free checker for those.
GOV.UK: The MOT testOutstanding finance checkWrite-off checkGOV.UK: Check if a vehicle has been recalled
How we counted
Every figure on this page comes from DVSA’s anonymised MOT data, published in June 2026. We counted cars and light vans (MOT class 4) on a normal MOT. Retests are left out.
We started with the 2,269,927 vehicles that passed first time in March 2024. We found the next MOT for 1,731,938 of them in February or March 2025, between 300 and 400 days later. The rest were tested outside those months or not at all.
A car counts as failing on an area if the tester recorded a fault there that fails the test. That includes a fault repaired within the hour, which DVSA counts as a failure too. The areas are sections of the MOT inspection manual, with brake pipes, leaks and the exhaust counted on their own.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
DVSA: Anonymised MOT tests and resultsGOV.UK: Check the MOT history of a vehicle
FAQ
Questions people ask
Which MOT advisories should worry me?
The ones on parts that shouldn’t wear out. In our count, advisories on brake pipes, steering and the exhaust made a failure there a year later about 12 to 20 times as likely. Tyre and brake pad advisories made it about twice as likely.
Is a car that failed an MOT a bad buy?
Not on its own. In our count 27% of cars failed first time in early 2025. What matters is what failed and whether the same thing keeps failing.
What does a fail and a pass on the same day mean?
The faults were fixed straight away, often at the test centre. That is normal. A fail followed by a pass weeks later is worth a question. So is a fail on the same part year after year.
Why is the mileage lower than at the last test?
It can be a typing mistake at the test, a replaced instrument panel or clocking. In our count about 1 car in 650 showed a lower reading a year on. Ask the seller to explain it and to show the paperwork.
Where can I read a car’s MOT history?
On GOV.UK’s MOT history service or with our free check. Both show every test since 2005 for a car in Great Britain, with the result, the defects, the advisories and the mileage.
The checks in this guide
More guides
Free car check
Check it before you go and see it
DVLA details, tax and MOT status, mileage and the full MOT history, free for any UK registration.