In a lot of ways, owning a car is like owning a pet without the love in return. As with a pet, car ownership also brings certain responsibilities. You’ll need to feed the thing in fuel, for one thing, and conduct regular checks to keep its engine purring along nicely. And, of course, after your car’s been on the road for three years, you’ll need to take it for its annual MOT.
MOTs in the UK cost an average of £45-£55, and test everything from your vehicle’s bodywork to the function of crucial elements like steering and suspension. This is vital for not only keeping you safe on the road but also protecting the people around you, who trust your car is safely MOT’d and good to go.
In an ideal world as a car owner, you likely wish to drop your car off for its MOT in the morning and collect it with a clean bill of health a couple of hours later. But, for an astounding 10 million car owners last year, that didn’t happen. In some cases, faults found were pretty fatal, creating a worrying reality in an age of safety culture, and highlighting the need for change.
In this article, we’ll consider what these figures mean, and what car owners can do to prevent their loved car from becoming one of the one if five MOT failures for this year.
MOT Failure on A Mass Scale: Should We Worry?
10 million vehicles sounds like a lot and is certainly enough that the DVSA have issued a warning to drivers. But, is this really the mass MOT failure that it seems? Perhaps not once you delve into the deeper issue.
In reality, an average of 43.7 million tests were conducted last year altogether, and of those, roughly 9.9 million didn’t make the mark. That means failures still only accounted for a small percentage of MOTs overall, even though this figure is higher than in previous years.
The DVSA also highlights that, on average, roughly 30% of vehicles fail their MOTs annually, many for minor issues that could be easily rectified before the test, such as tyre or bulb problems.
Perhaps more worrying is the fact that many of the failures noted for last year included ‘dangerous’ problems. Of the cars tested, thirty were found to have as many as 24 serious faults, which could have potentially proven fatal if left on the road.
Reasons for Failure
Looking at last year’s figures alone, the reasons for MOT failure included –
- Issues with spare wheel attachment (186 tests)
- Missing nearside front brake disks (31 tests)
- Steering wheel lock inadvertently engaging (64 tests)
However, RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding emphasises that there are an astounding 600 reasons for MOT failure overall. Issues with tyres are arguably the most common reasons for failure in 7.7% of cases and can include trouble with tread depth or incorrect fitting. Equally, defective tyres account for an average of 60% of ‘dangerous’ MOT failures, in an average of 1,440,000 cases. 13% of MOT failures involve suspension failures, such as leaky shock absorbers, while 10% involve brake systems in some way.
While many of these issues are easy to spot and deal with in advance of an MOT date, experts express particular concern about the fact that owners are sending their vehicles to MOT with often fatal faults. Faults seen last year even included issues as serious as missing brakes.
In many ways, this highlights the importance of MOTs, but it’s also a testament to the need for drivers to check their own cars regularly, even when an MOT isn’t due. When speaking on the issue, Gooding stated ‘“This should be food for thought for those who suggest we don’t need an annual roadworthiness check.’
What Can Car Owners Do to Stay in the Clear?
These figures are worrying for car owners who often have to take a deep breath to shoulder the cost of an MOT in itself. After all, MOT expenses quickly rocket when failures occur, with drivers paying as much as £325 to fix faults.
So, what can car owners do to stay in the clear? The good news is, there are some pretty easy ways to ensure an MOT pass once you put your mind to it. Some of these may involve spending a little money beforehand, but they’re steps that will almost always save you money in the long run. Top tips for MOT success include –
# 1 – Understand What MOTs Look For
Often, drivers book their car for an MOT at a garage like Windmill garage hilltop service station without even necessarily knowing what the test is actually looking at. This can lead to minor, unnecessary fails that are easily avoided by simply taking the time to understand that MOTs consider –
- Brakes
- Bodywork
- Doors and openings
- Exhaust and emissions
- Horn
- Lights
- Seats and seatbelts
- Steering
- Wheels and tyres
- Windows and mirrors
Common reasons for MOT fails, including blown bulbs or problems with tyre tread, are easy enough to address in advance of a test date. Admittedly, doing so does mean spending a little in advance of a test you’ll already need to budget for, but it’s always a step worth taking. After all, when you book to address these issues beforehand, you’ll have far more control over cost and timelines than if your car failed its MOT and had to stay where it was.
# 2 – Always Book Your Test in Good Time
It’s easy to assume that annual MOTs are just a money-making scheme, but there’s a good reason why annual tests became commonplace. Car depreciation is a serious issue and, with the average driver covering as many as 13,500 miles per year, at least some minor work becomes necessary at this junction.
The longer you wait for an MOT, the more likely it is that your car will experience serious faults. What’s more, there’s no grace period for MOT tests, meaning that you’re breaking the law by driving even a day past when your MOT is due.
Admittedly, you don’t want to lose too much time on your current MOT each year, as this will cumulatively mean spending more. You do, however, want to make sure that you’re getting a date booked at least a month before your MOT is due, preferably for a week or so before your current MOT’s end date.
In Great Britain, it’s possible to set up MOT reminders a month beforehand online, ensuring you never forget to mark that all-important MOT date.
# 3 – Have a Contingency Plan
Your best efforts can’t guarantee an MOT pass in all instances, so it’s also important to have some sort of contingency plan. Most commonly, this should involve setting a certain amount of money aside for car troubles each month.
As well as ensuring that you have enough money to easily handle your MOT and any unexpected failures, this makes it more likely that you’ll address car issues as and when they arise instead of waiting for your MOT. As a result, a ‘pass’ certificate becomes much more likely.
Driving Over the MOT Bump in the Road
Do drivers need to panic about the amount of failed MOTs last year? Perhaps not, but they do need to be aware, and take steps to ensure they’re never driving with serious faults that could pose risks to them and others. Your car is in your care, after all. Make sure you’re caring for it just as well as you would any other dependent in your life!
