Know Your MOT
9.1%fail rate

Beta Evo common MOT failures and failure rate

What a Beta Evo fails its MOT on, from real DVSA test data, and the part that resolves each item.

Based on 1,799 MOT tests in DVSA data.

About 9.1% of MOT tests recorded on the Beta Evo in DVSA data end in a failure. The same handful of items account for most of them.

Its most common failure is other, which makes up 18.9% of the Beta Evo's failures, followed by other, lamps & electrical, registration plate, tyres. Each item below links to the part that resolves it. Confirm the exact fitment against your registration or VIN before buying, and have safety-critical work done by a competent mechanic.

What it fails on, and why

Other18.9% of failures

This covers a range of smaller items, from a non-working horn to a warning light left on.

Lamps & electrical17.1% of failures

Lighting is the single most common MOT failure and the cheapest to put right. A blown headlight, brake-light or number-plate bulb, a cracked lens, or a headlamp beam that points too high or low will all fail. Most are a two-minute bulb swap.

Registration plate15.2% of failures

A missing, damaged, dirty or incorrectly-spaced number plate, or one using the wrong font, will fail. A replacement plate is inexpensive.

Tyres12.8% of failures

Tyres fail for tread below the 1.6mm legal limit across the central three-quarters, uneven or exposed-cord wear, or sidewall damage. The tester inspects all four; a single illegal tyre is a fail.

Suspension7.9% of failures

Suspension failures usually mean a worn or snapped coil spring, a leaking shock absorber, or play in a lower arm ball joint or bush. The tester checks for corrosion, fractures and excessive movement. A broken front spring is one of the most common failures on higher-mileage cars and is a straightforward replacement.

Brakes6.7% of failures

Brake failures cover worn pads and discs, an imbalance between wheels, corroded or scored discs, or a binding caliper. Braking efficiency is measured on a rolling road, so a spongy or pulling brake shows up as a low reading.

Failure rate by year

How the MOT failure rate varies by the car's year of first registration (older examples generally fail more as wear sets in).

200912.4% fail · 201 tests
201012.1% fail · 215 tests
201114.7% fail · 156 tests
20128.3% fail · 108 tests
20137.1% fail · 126 tests
20147.6% fail · 132 tests
20157.4% fail · 163 tests
20169.4% fail · 138 tests
20176.3% fail · 159 tests
20188.0% fail · 100 tests
20195.8% fail · 104 tests

The parts that fix each

If your car has just failed, you have 10 working days to fix the items and get a free partial retest. These are the usual parts; confirm the exact fitment against your registration or VIN before buying.

For the lamps & electrical failure: Beta Evo headlight and indicator bulbsSearch Amazon for Beta Evo headlight and indicator bulbsaffiliate searchFind Beta Evo headlight and indicator bulbs on eBayaffiliate
For the registration plate failure: Beta Evo number plateSearch Amazon for Beta Evo number plateaffiliate searchFind Beta Evo number plate on eBayaffiliate
For the tyres failure: Beta Evo tyresSearch Amazon for Beta Evo tyresaffiliate searchFind Beta Evo tyres on eBayaffiliate
For the suspension failure: Beta Evo suspension springs and shock absorbersSearch Amazon for Beta Evo suspension springs and shock absorbersaffiliate searchFind Beta Evo suspension springs and shock absorbers on eBayaffiliate
For the brakes failure: Beta Evo brake pads and discsSearch Amazon for Beta Evo brake pads and discsaffiliate searchFind Beta Evo brake pads and discs on eBayaffiliate

Other models

Beta Rr MOT failures16.0% failure rateBeta Xtrainer MOT failures15.4% failure rateBeta Alp MOT failures15.8% failure rateFord Fiesta MOT failures27.1% failure rate

Sources: DVSA MOT History API: MOT test results and defect data · DVSA MOT testing data for Great Britain