Did your car get an MOT advisory? Here's the likelihood of the fault causing a breakdown or crash

Daily Mail​

16-06-2025

It's an annual occurrence many motorists dread - having a car MOT'd.
For some, the process is plain sailing and goes without a hitch. For others, it can trigger a painfully expensive list of issues that need to be resolved.
However, there are those who sit in the middle of these two scenarios: their motor passes the test but with one or a number of advisories that a mechanic will highlight as needing attention sooner rather than later.
Owners who take the risk and ignore these recommendations could regret it soon after, according to a survey of almost 1,500 motorists.
It found one in six drivers who overlooked an MOT advisory in the past 12 months experienced a vehicle breakdown or a crash as a result of this unattended issue raised by the MOT garage.
The RAC described it as 'troubling advisory apathy among drivers'.
The annual MOT - which is carried out from a car, van or motorcycle's third year of registration - is a roadworthiness check of a number of consumable parts, such as lights, seatbelts, tyres and brakes to ensure they meet legal standards.
Motors found to have 'dangerous' or 'major' defects will automatically fail the test.
However, 'minor' issues are highlighted as advisories, which indicate problems not severe enough to cause an immediate failure but should be addressed in the near future to ensure a car continues to work as it should.
Most common examples include tyre tread close to the legal limit, brake pads almost worn out, and small oil leaks.
More than two in five of drivers polled said their last MOT resulted in one or more advisories.
Yet 54 per cent of these respondents admitted they didn't act on the warning and failed to get the problem fixed.
As such, 17 per cent of this group confirmed their vehicle broke down or was involved in a crash as a direct consequence of the defect raised as an advisory notice by the MOT station.
How to check the MOT history of a car before buying?
A car's MOT history is a very good measure of how well it's been looked after by a previous owner - or owners.
And there is a simple way to check the maintenance record of a motor you're considering purchasing...
The Government's MOT checker tool allows buyers to not only view how many times a car has failed the annual roadworthiness test but the reasons why, as well as which advisories were issued during each examination.
You can see if advisories triggered a failed MOT in the future because the owner neglected to act on it.
You can find the Gov.uk MOT checker here. You simply need a car's registration number to review its history.
Separate Department for Transport figures show 39 people were killed and a further 1,865 were injured in crashes on Britain's roads in 2023 in which vehicle defects were a contributory factor.
The total number of casualties was the highest since 2018.
RAC mobile servicing and repairs team leader Nick Mullender warned that MOT advisories 'demand attention' because they mean a vehicle 'isn't in the best of health'.
He said: 'Unfortunately, our research suggests there's a lot of troubling advisory apathy among drivers.
'Advisories indicate the potential for the vehicle to become unroadworthy in a matter of months or even weeks, depending on the nature of the issue and how often the vehicle is driven.
'It's crucial that drivers keep a close eye on any flagged items.'
He added: 'An MOT is the most basic of roadworthiness checks, and no replacement for a proper service by a qualified mechanic.'
In 2023-24, DVSA records show that 34.7million vehicles were MOT tested over the 12 months.
Some 7.9million of these were initially failed tests, account for 28.4 per cent of instances.
Some 2.7million of these failures were a result of a dangerous defect, which suggested 7.9 per cent of vehicles on the road had incredibly serious faults that posed a real risk to the owner, their passengers and other road users.
Could there be a unique MOT test for electric cars?
The Government continues to refuse to rule out changes to the MOT test to include specific checks for electric cars and the growing catalogue of driver assistance safety technology installed in the latest models.
It comes as the European Commission plans to make wholesale changes to its 'periodic technical inspection' (PTI) procedure - the rules for MOT-equivalent roadworthiness checks on cars, vans and motorcycles across the European Union.
Among the changes it outlined includes: 'Adapting the PTI to electric vehicles and including new test elements for electronic safety systems through wider use of the electronic vehicle interface (including testing the software integrity of safety and emission-related systems).'
The latter is an increased focus on proving routine checks of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), such as adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, and lane keeping assist.
In response, the Department for Transport told This is Money in April that it will be reviewing the EC's proposals.
New rules are already being trialled for the MOT test this year in a bid to tackle a growing scam that threatens to increase the number of dangerous vehicles being driven on Britain's roads.
The pilot scheme deployed by a small number of MOT testing stations requires mechanics to provide photographic evidence of vehicles being checked to curb a rise in 'Ghost MOTs'.
Also referred to as 'Bluetooth MOTs', this is the practice of unscrupulous auto businesses issuing fraudulent certificates for vehicles that has never been inspected and are likely not roadworthy.
Experts believe they account for roughly four in five counterfeit MOTs.