These MOT failure patterns show up more often on this registration year than on similar cars of the same class, age, and mileage.
Shares below are measured across the 2,308 of 2,334 failed first attempts (98.9%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025 — the subset the age-and-mileage comparison can be computed on.
Standout: Macpherson strut (front) — 4.9% of this year's failed first attempts
Recorded on 113 of those tests. It tops the table on elevation — about 9.5× more often than on similar cars of the same age and mileage. That is what makes it unusual for its class, which is a different question from what is most likely to fail; the buying checklist ranks by that. The full ranked list is in the table below.
| Fault pattern | Location | Failures | vs similar cars | Share of fails | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Hazard warning — Switch
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment > Hazard warning > Switch
|
Any | 90 | ×19 | 3.9% | Likely |
|
Pins and bushes (front)
Suspension > Macpherson strut > Pins and bushes
|
Front | 71 | ×13 | 3.1% | Likely |
|
Macpherson strut (front)
Suspension > Macpherson strut > Macpherson strut
|
Front | 113 | ×9.5 | 4.9% | Strong |
|
Rigid brake pipes (front)
Brakes > Rigid brake pipes
|
Front | 111 | ×5.0 | 4.8% | Strong |
|
Rigid brake pipes (rear)
Brakes > Rigid brake pipes
|
Rear | 174 | ×4.3 | 7.5% | Likely |
|
Track rod end (front)
Steering > Steering linkage components > Track rod end
|
Front | 383 | ×3.2 | 16.6% | Likely |
|
Parking brake performance
Brakes > Brake performance > Parking brake performance > Rbt > Parking brake performance
|
Any | 90 | ×2.9 | 3.9% | Possible |
|
Rbt (sp)
Brakes > Brake performance > Parking brake efficiency (sp) > Rbt (sp)
|
Any | 482 | ×2.6 | 20.9% | Possible |
|
Electrical equipment — Horn
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment > Electrical equipment > Horn
|
Any | 83 | ×2.6 | 3.6% | Possible |
|
Wheel bearings (front)
Suspension > Wheel bearings
|
Front | 96 | ×2.5 | 4.2% | Possible |
Only patterns that clear minimum sample and elevation thresholds are shown (at least 20 failures and about 2.0× more often than similar cars).