By law, cars over three years old must undertake an MOT test to ensure they are safe.
Changes from 2018 include stricter rules for diesel car emissions, new checks and a categorisation system including “dangerous”, “major” and “minor” faults. The discovery of a “dangerous” or “major” fault with the car will cause a fail.
According to Which, around 40% of cars fail their MOT and recent data released confirms which cars have the best and worst MOT pass rates. To see whether your car made the top or bottom 5 read on…
The Top 5
With pass rates of 94.4%, the Porsche Boxster and Mazda MX-5 come in 5th and 4th place for the best cars to pass their MOTs first time.
Taking the bronze is the Toyota iQ, with a pass rate of 94.5%. Silver goes to the Porsche 911 with 95.9%, which is great news for speed lovers!
In first place: the Honda Jazz with a staggering 96.3%. Proven to be one of the most reliable cars around, regular maintenance and fewer miles driven between MOTs give this car the gold.
The Worst
The five worst cars, in reverse order, start with the Citroen DS3, with a feeble 81.1% pass rate. Next comes the Vauxhall Corsa with 79.4%. The third worst car for MOT pass rates is the Peugeot 5008 with a score of 78.8%, however the upgraded 5008 may perform better than the older models.
Second worst is the Fiat Punto, with a score of 78.5%, only just below the Peugeot, but the winner (loser?) is the Renault Megane, with a pass rate of 77.5% – almost 20% below the Porsche 911.
How to improve your score
If your car is approaching its next MOT, motor trade insurance companies such as https://www.quotemetoday.co.uk/motor-trade-insurance/ recommend taking a few simple steps to give your car the best possible chance of passing first time, including regular general maintenance throughout the year.
Unsurprisingly, mileage plays a part in increasing the likelihood of a car passing first time, with the top scorers having the lowest mileage.
Other, more surprising results include turquoise cars being more likely to pass, with a 92.5% score.
Sundays are the best day for passes, with 79% compared to Mondays, the worst day, which only see 72.4%.