Tyres the number 1 reason for MOT failures

A recent analysis of over 38 million MOTs conducted in 2021 has found that almost one in five resulted in failure, with tyres the most common cause. Poor condition tyres or not meeting the legal requirement of at least 1.6mm of tread depth contributed to 1,101,839 MOT failures across the UK in a single year. Furthermore, the driver-side front tyre tread depth accounted for more than a quarter of these, the equivalent of 368,853 MOT failures, One Sure Insurance found.

Previous research conducted by Tyres & Accessories found that tyre demand identified by MOT tests could be worth as much as £177 million a year to the UK tyre market in sell-out terms. The latest data points to higher levels of MOT failure than those earlier assessments, which underlines those estimates.

According to a YouGov poll, Britons are most likely to change their tyres only when it is absolutely necessary. Three in five car owners (60%) switch them out only when carrying on using them becomes untenable, which helps explain why they are the biggest cause of MOT failure.

In second place, the cause of 1,069,069 MOT failures was damaged coil springs located in your car’s suspension. Fractured or broken front passenger side coil springs accounted for 346,383 of MOT failures in this category.

Headlamp aim took third place, as the cause of 806,993 MOT failures. The projected beam being incorrect is the leading cause of failure in this category, accounting for 433,681 MOT failures.

Windscreen wipers came fourth, having caused 778,244 MOT failures, with almost every case of failure being down to the wipers not clearing the windscreen effectively. Wipers not cleaning the windscreen effectively accounts for 751,881 MOT failures within this category.

Position lamps occupt the fifth spot. Known more commonly as sidelights, non-road safe position lamps have caused 759,032 MOT failures. Non-working position lamps make up the bulk of the failures within this category, having caused 710,180 MOT failures.

Brake pads took sixth place, being the cause of 674,986 MOT failures. The leading cause of failure within this category is almost entirely brake pads being less than 1.5mm thick, resulting in 615,077 of these MOT failures.

Seventh place weny to pins and bushes, which caused 632,061 MOT failures. Most failures in this category were due to pins or bushes being excessively worn at the front of the vehicle, resulting in 467,118 of these MOT failures.

Ball joints allow suspension movement which maximizes the tyre’s contact with the road providing optimum vehicle control and tyre wear. They took eighth spot on the list, having caused 620,900 MOT failures. And what’s more, which tyre failures the number one reason, suspension failures of this magnitude could also explain some of the tyre wear numbers.

Ninth place on the list went to service brake performance. Otherwise known as the braking system in a vehicle, inadequate service brake performance has resulted in 615,329 MOT failures.

Taking the final spot on the list, in tenth place, was issues with the rigid brake pipes which caused 522,429 MOT failures. These pipes are used to transfer pressurised brake fluid from the master cylinder to the brake hoses and are especially susceptible to corrosion. 143,600 MOT failures were found to be due to the vehicle’s rigid brake pipes being excessively corroded.

So, tyres are number one, but the combined brake-related figure is also large, meaning there is plenty of work still to be done by tyre and fast-fit businesses to raise awareness of the need for better maintenance and of their services.

MOT failure causes in 2021

 Source: One Sure Insurance