Which used cars pass their MOT most often, which pick up the most advisories, and which are most likely to have a hidden history? We looked at the full MOT histories of 491,789 vehicles checked on CarCheckUp, 5.7 million MOT test results in all, and at 4,390 full vehicle history checks. Here is what the data shows. Every figure comes from our UK Used Car Risk Report, where you can sort every table yourself.
A note before the rankings: an MOT pass rate is not the whole story of how reliable a car is. It reflects how old the cars are, how hard they have been driven and how well they have been maintained, as well as the model. Newer and lower-mileage cars tend to score better.
Across all 491,789 vehicles
- 77% of MOT tests were passed, retests included.
- The average test recorded 1.5 advisories: defects that are not yet a failure.
- 5.8% of vehicles have a mileage anomaly: an MOT reading lower than an earlier one.
- The most common failure area is lights and indicators, followed by suspension, brakes and tyres.
Popular models with the highest MOT pass rates
- MINI Countryman: 87% of tests passed
- Land Rover Range Rover Evoque: 85%
- MINI Cooper S: 85%
- MINI Cooper: 84%
- Volvo XC60: 83%
Popular models with the lowest MOT pass rates
- Renault Trafic: 70%, with suspension the most common failure area
- Renault Megane: 71%
- Renault Clio: 71%
- Ford Transit: 71%
- Peugeot Partner: 72%
Vans such as the Trafic, Transit and Partner work hard and cover high mileages, which shows up at the MOT. See all 59 popular models in the MOT pass rate table.
Which cars collect the most MOT advisories?
Advisories are the early warnings: tyres near the limit, a corroding brake pipe, a small oil leak. The Ford Transit averages 2.2 advisories per test and the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2.0; among cars, the Fiat Punto has the most at 1.8. At the other end, the Toyota Prius averages 0.8. Read what they mean in our guide to MOT advisories, or see the full advisory ranking.
Where mileage anomalies turn up most
The Fiat Ducato (often a motorhome base) has the highest share of vehicles with a mileage anomaly at 13.5%, followed by the Fiat Punto (11.7%) and Ford Transit (11.6%). A mileage anomaly is a reason to ask questions, not proof of clocking: typing errors at the test centre and replaced instrument clusters cause many of them. Our free mileage anomaly check shows the readings for any car, and the ranking covers all 59 models.
Which popular models most often have a write-off record?
Among popular models with at least 30 full reports, the Audi A3 (27.6% of 76 checked), Audi A4 (27.1% of 48) and Volkswagen Polo (24.1% of 54) most often had an insurance write-off record, mostly Cat N and Cat S. These are small groups, so treat them as a pointer rather than a verdict; the write-off table shows each category. A write-off check tells you where a particular car stands.
Newer cars: the finance trap
56.7% of cars under three years old checked with a full report still had outstanding finance recorded, against 0.4% of cars 16 years and older. If you are buying a nearly new car privately, an outstanding finance check matters more than anything else.
Check the car you are looking at
Model averages can't tell you about one car. Run a free car check for its MOT history and mileage, then a full car history check for finance, write-off and stolen records before you pay.
Data: DVSA MOT histories of vehicles checked on CarCheckUp since March 2023, and CarCheckUp full vehicle history reports, to September 2026. Method and limitations in the full report. MOT data contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.