MoT failure rate information obtained by the BBC could confuse consumers and does not take into account the range of factors affecting pass rates.

The publication of MoT failure rates come as a result of an 18 month campaign by BBC journalist, Martin Rosenbaum, for this data to be published under the Freedom of Information Act.
The information shows how often different makes and models of cars and vans fail MoTs, which could prove helpful for used car buyers, especially those considering older vehicles.

The BBC story showed that vehicles first used in 2004, Ford Transit Connect had the highest failure rate at 30.5%, followed by the Renault Megane and Ford Transit.

 

The Toyota Corolla had the lowest failure rate with just 11.2%.

But Dan Harrison, editor of motoring advice website honestjohn.co.uk, warns that motorists should be mindful of the huge range of factors that can affect a vehicle passing or failing its MoT.

Harrison said: “We firmly believe that the more information available to used car buyers the better, to enable them to make the most informed view about their vehicle purchase.

“But the reality is that an MoT fail will be down to a whole myriad of reasons – many of which would be outside of the manufacturer’s control.

"The amount of use and mileage and how the vehicle has been driven, as well as how it’s been maintained and serviced, will certainly play a big part in whether it passes or fails its MoT. So any car buyer taking a look at this data should bear that in mind.”