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MOT Reliability League 2024

The most and least reliable used cars, by MOT results

Figures updated

In 2024, 28.5% of cars aged 3 to 20 failed their MOT first time. Taking age and mileage into account, the Porsche 911 was the most reliable popular car (62% less likely to fail than the average car of the same age and mileage) and the Renault Zoe the least reliable (61% more likely to fail than the average car of the same age and mileage).

Based on 30,771,766 first-time MOT tests of cars and small vans in 2024. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT data, Open Government Licence v3.0.

Most reliable cars

  1. 1Porsche 91126110.0%
  2. 2Porsche Boxster21613.8%
  3. 3Porsche Macan2029.3%
  4. 4Porsche Cayenne18415.9%
  5. 5Mercedes-Benz S-Class18116.6%
  6. 6Lexus NX17610.3%
  7. 7Lexus CT16716.5%
  8. 8Audi Q715818.3%
  9. 9BMW 6 Series15820.6%
  10. 10BMW 5 Series15720.3%

Score (100 = average for age and mileage), then raw fail rate. Models with 20,000+ tests.

Least reliable cars

  1. 1Renault Zoe6223.5%
  2. 2DS DS36332.1%
  3. 3Dacia Sandero6431.6%
  4. 4Citroen C4 Cactus6727.0%
  5. 5Citroen DS36948.0%
  6. 6MG 37024.6%
  7. 7Renault Clio7142.9%
  8. 8Dacia Duster7128.4%
  9. 9Smart (MCC) Forfour7526.7%
  10. 10Peugeot 20087526.8%

Score (100 = average for age and mileage), then raw fail rate. Models with 20,000+ tests.

Most reliable cars by type

Full league

Every model with at least 2,000 tests. Tap a column to sort; tap a model for its most common faults.

#Model
1Nissan GT-R3946.2%–2,357
2Bentley Bentayga3604.4%3.1%2,547
3Aston Martin V83358.9%–3,153
4Bentley Continental2938.9%4.7%13,980
5Aston Martin DB92869.8%–4,289
6BMW M527011.6%–2,999
7Porsche 91126110.0%5.5%34,721
8Aston Martin Vantage2536.8%4.2%4,684
9BMW M325212.9%5.8%11,798
10Lexus RX2528.1%4.4%13,976
11Audi A824713.1%9.2%10,924
12Aston Martin DB112414.8%–2,417
13Lexus GS23112.5%–3,488
14Audi R82299.8%–3,843
15Lotus Elise22611.3%–2,251
16Toyota Vellfire22515.0%–2,379
17Honda S200022416.9%–3,248
18Porsche Cayman22411.5%4.6%14,248
19Lexus ES2166.7%6.1%2,834
20Porsche Boxster21613.8%4.0%22,735
21Porsche Macan2029.3%6.2%29,076
22LEVC TX20111.4%11.3%8,340
23Lexus UX2016.4%5.8%10,926
24Porsche Panamera19812.9%11.5%6,927
25Mercedes-Benz CL19620.1%–2,022
26Audi S419315.2%6.2%2,274
27BMW 7 Series19115.7%8.5%16,318
28Lexus IS18914.1%–14,705
29Mercedes-Benz SL18816.0%–13,364
30Lexus RC1869.7%–2,328
31Porsche Cayenne18415.9%6.1%29,142
32Mercedes-Benz S-Class18116.6%6.3%24,267
33Audi Q81808.9%8.5%3,956
34Audi A717815.8%12.0%16,860
35Jaguar F-Type1779.4%9.6%14,513
36Lexus NX17610.3%6.5%27,542
37Honda FIT17516.7%–3,916
38Jaguar I-Pace1748.1%7.1%16,228
39Mercedes-Benz GL17420.7%–3,607
40Audi S316916.2%8.4%4,812
41Lexus CT16716.5%7.2%30,503
42BMW I816611.0%–2,176
43Lexus IS25016425.8%–9,579
44BMW X616217.4%15.6%15,327
45Jaguar XK16020.8%–7,997
46Honda CR-Z15923.6%–3,794
47Subaru Impreza15925.7%–12,523
48Audi Q715818.3%10.3%47,838
49BMW 6 Series15820.6%–22,062
50Jaguar XKR15822.9%–5,843

Download the league as CSV

How MOT failure rates rise with age

13% of cars fail their first MOT at three years old, rising to 31% at ten.

0%10%20%30%40%50%36912151820UK average 43%UK average 43%

By make

MakeScoreFail rate
Bentley2998.1%
Ferrari2935.2%
Aston Martin2787.6%
Porsche21211.9%
LEVC19711.5%
Lexus17315.1%
BMW13521.2%
Maserati13217.5%
Audi13121.9%
Infiniti13119.1%
Land Rover13022.4%
Subaru12726.1%
Jaguar12621.1%
Saab12036.5%
Mercedes-Benz11823.2%
Honda11627.6%
MINI11523.4%
Volvo11325.7%
Skoda11123.9%
Chrysler Jeep11039.6%
Toyota11026.4%
Volkswagen10927.2%
Cupra10611.8%
Mitsubishi10528.7%
Mazda10327.7%
Daihatsu10138.4%
Smart10130.1%
London Taxis International9937.8%
SEAT9926.3%
Alfa Romeo9832.0%
Chrysler9838.9%
Suzuki9826.8%
Rover9742.3%
Jeep9626.3%
Ford9331.6%
Tesla9316.9%
Hyundai9227.4%
Kia9226.9%
Abarth9022.2%
Smart (MCC)9028.2%
Isuzu8832.4%
Nissan8732.6%
Vauxhall8734.2%
MG8620.5%
Fiat8433.0%
Peugeot8334.2%
Citroen7937.2%
Renault7738.1%
Chevrolet7646.0%
Dacia6830.3%
DS6630.5%
SsangYong6633.4%

Petrol, diesel, hybrid and electric

First-time MOT failure rate by age.

Fuel3–5 years6–10 years11–20 years
Petrol13.3%23.5%40.0%
Diesel17.7%26.3%40.2%
Hybrid11.4%17.2%25.2%
Electric14.1%25.9%32.0%

Hybrids fail least at every age. Electric cars are heavy and wear tyres faster: 8.1% of 3 to 5-year-old electric cars failed on tyres, against 4.8% of petrol cars. But thanks to regenerative braking, only 0.9% failed on brakes, against 2.4%.

Best at the first MOT

  1. Lexus UX5.8% fail
  2. Porsche Macan6.2% fail
  3. Suzuki Ignis6.4% fail
  4. Lexus NX6.5% fail
  5. Honda Jazz6.8% fail

The most common reasons cars fail

  1. Position lamp: not working2.5% of tests
  2. Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm2.5% of tests
  3. Coil spring: fractured or broken2.1% of tests
  4. Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively2.1% of tests
  5. Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick2.0% of tests
  6. Stop lamp: not working1.9% of tests
  7. Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn1.8% of tests
  8. Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction1.5% of tests
  9. Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn1.5% of tests
  10. Headlamp: not working on dipped beam1.5% of tests

Lights, tyres and wipers are among the most common failures and are easy to check yourself before the test. Check a car's MOT history.

How we calculate the league

We use every MOT test DVSA recorded in 2024 for cars and small vans (class 4). We count only the first test of each MOT, not retests, and a car “fails” if it fails or has a defect fixed during the test (DVSA's own definition). We include cars aged 3 to 20, so taxis and private hire cars tested every year from new don't skew the figures.

Older, higher-mileage cars fail more often, so raw failure rates flatter newer, less-used models. The reliability score compares each model with the average car of the same age and mileage: we work out how many of its tests would fail if it behaved like the average car in each age and mileage group, and divide by how many actually failed. 100 is average; 125 means a fifth (20%) fewer failures than expected; 80 means a quarter more.

MOT results also reflect how cars are looked after. Premium and sports cars are often serviced by specialists and driven less, and vans work harder, which is why vans have their own league: see the most reliable vans. Model names follow DVSA's records, grouped into model families; all versions of a model are combined.

The full method sets out the definitions, the formula with a worked example, the minimum numbers of tests and the limits of what MOT data can tell you.

Using this data

You're welcome to quote the league and reuse the CSV with a link to this page. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Frequently asked questions

›What is the most reliable car in the UK?

Among cars with at least 20,000 MOT tests in 2024, the Porsche 911 had the best score in our league: 62% less likely to fail than the average car of the same age and mileage.

›What percentage of cars fail their MOT?

28.5% of cars aged 3 to 20 failed their MOT first time in 2024. 12.7% failed their first MOT at three years old.

›What is the most common reason for an MOT failure?

Lights and electrics. The single most common fault is a sidelight (position lamp) not working, found in 2.5% of tests.

›Do electric cars fail their MOT more often?

At 3 to 5 years old, 14.1% of electric cars failed first time, against 13.3% of petrol and 11.4% of hybrid cars.