Know Your MOT
16.0%fail rate

Beta Rr common MOT failures and failure rate

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

Based on 6,442 MOT tests in DVSA data.

About 16.0% of MOT tests recorded on the Beta Rr in DVSA data end in a failure. The same handful of items account for most of them.

Its most common failure is lamps & electrical, which makes up 30.5% of the Beta Rr's failures, followed by lamps & electrical, other, registration plate, brakes. 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

Lamps & electrical30.5% 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.

Other23.6% of failures

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

Registration plate14.0% of failures

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

Brakes11.7% 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.

Tyres8.7% 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.

Suspension6.9% 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.

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).

200516.4% fail · 281 tests
200610.3% fail · 243 tests
200720.4% fail · 137 tests
201315.8% fail · 285 tests
201419.1% fail · 319 tests
201516.7% fail · 588 tests
201617.4% fail · 711 tests
201715.4% fail · 825 tests
201818.4% fail · 679 tests
201916.2% fail · 518 tests
202016.8% fail · 493 tests
202115.3% fail · 621 tests
20229.8% fail · 389 tests
202314.4% fail · 132 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 Rr headlight and indicator bulbsSearch Amazon for Beta Rr headlight and indicator bulbsaffiliate searchFind Beta Rr headlight and indicator bulbs on eBayaffiliate
For the registration plate failure: Beta Rr number plateSearch Amazon for Beta Rr number plateaffiliate searchFind Beta Rr number plate on eBayaffiliate
For the brakes failure: Beta Rr brake pads and discsSearch Amazon for Beta Rr brake pads and discsaffiliate searchFind Beta Rr brake pads and discs on eBayaffiliate
For the tyres failure: Beta Rr tyresSearch Amazon for Beta Rr tyresaffiliate searchFind Beta Rr tyres on eBayaffiliate
For the suspension failure: Beta Rr suspension springs and shock absorbersSearch Amazon for Beta Rr suspension springs and shock absorbersaffiliate searchFind Beta Rr suspension springs and shock absorbers on eBayaffiliate

Other models

Beta Xtrainer MOT failures15.4% failure rateBeta Alp MOT failures15.8% failure rateBeta Evo MOT failures9.1% 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