Defective tyres account for 60 per cent of dangerous MOT fails

• Serious defects with tyres (60 per cent), brakes (29 per cent) and vehicle suspension (five per cent) were the leading causes of dangerous MOT defects in 2023
• 1,440,000 MOT failures happened as a result of dangerous defects in tyres, 780,000 due to issues with dangerous defects in brakes and 150,000 due to dangerous defects with suspension
• Most common reasons for MOT fails were issues with lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment (25 per cent)
• The number of drivers convicted for defective vehicle parts has reached its highest level since 2010

New analysis by Green Flag reveals that 60 per cent of dangerous MOT failures were caused by defective tyres in 2023¹. Defective tyres fall under the “dangerous” category of MOT failures² and require a repair to be made immediately before the car can be legally driven on a public road. It also immediately invalidates any remaining days on your current MOT. Brake related issues accounted for 29 per cent of dangerous MOT fails whilst problems with vehicle suspension made up five per cent.

When analysing the common reasons for MOT failure, the most frequent were problems with lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, which accounted for a quarter of fails (25 per cent), followed by suspension issues (19 per cent), brakes (16 per cent), tyres (13 per cent) and visibility (8 per cent).

The most prevalent reasons for dangerous MOT defects have remained almost the same for the last four years, indicating that these are systemic issues and motorists are failing to regularly check their vehicles for these issues, or they are not being picked up during regular services.

Table 1: Top Five Reasons for MOT fails in 2023

Source: Green Flag analysis of DVSA MOT testing data for Great Britain, MOT class 3 and 4 vehicles: initial failures by defect category

There are approximately 30 million MOTs³ carried out in the UK every year, with, on average, 29 per cent, or 8,700,000, resulting in fails in 2023. Around 1,440,000 MOT failures happened as a result of dangerous defects in tyres, 780,000 due to issues with dangerous defects in brakes and 150,000 due to dangerous defects with suspension.

Further analysis⁴ also reveals that the number of drivers convicted for defective vehicle part offences has reached its highest level since 2010. The findings, based on analysis of latest available Ministry of Justice data, show that in 2022 8,005 motorists were convicted for defective vehicle parts in England and Wales. This is a 39 per cent increase from the 5,754 convictions in 2021 and a 83 per cent rise from the 4,367 convictions in 2020.

Driver convictions for defective vehicle parts have increased by 255 per cent year-on-year in Durham – the largest rise of any UK region. Convictions also increased by 333 per cent in Durham and 158% in Leicestershire from 2021 - the second and third largest rises respectively. Gwent has seen the biggest drop in convictions for defective car parts of any region – down 48 per cent from the previous year.  Green Flag’s analysis also shows 87 per cent of motorists convicted of defective vehicle part offences in 2022 were men and 67 per cent were under the age of 40⁵.

Table 2: Driving convictions for defective vehicle parts

DVSA rules state that all cars aged three years and older require an annual MOT test to ensure they are roadworthy. If your car fails the test, it must be repaired to conform to the required standards.

Katie Lomas, Managing Director of Green Flag, commented: “Given that defective tyres are a major source of MOT failures it’s important that people take regular steps to ensure that they are keeping their vehicles safe and legal. Take a 20 pence piece and run it through the grooves of the tyre to check that the tread is at least 1.6mm deep. If the rim around the edge of the coin stands proud, the tyre will need replacing. Also check for any cuts or bulges in the Tyre sidewall and for any objects that might be embedded into the tyre. Remember, if you think there might be a problem with your car, don’t wait for the MOT, take it to a professional to be checked right away.”

-ENDS-

Notes to editors:

1. Source for this data; Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, MOT testing data for Great Britain, MOT class 3 and 4 vehicles: initial failures by defect category: MOT class 3 and 4 vehicles: initial failures by defect category - GOV.UK (publishing.service.gov.uk) Percentages calculated as an average of each categories percentage for the four quarters of the calendar year Jan-Dec 2023
2. Information taken from https://mattersoftesting.blog.gov.uk/how-the-new-mot-defect-categories-will-work/
3. Stat taken from https://mattersoftesting.blog.gov.uk/mot-fraud-a-risk-to-road-safety/
4. Data based on analysis of Ministry of Justice offences data obtained in May 2023
5. The gender is unknown for 113 offences

For further information please contact:

Alice Osborn

Green Flag PR Manager

Email: [email protected]

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