Know Your MOT
24.8%fail rate

Daimler Sovereign common MOT failures and failure rate

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

Based on 7,635 MOT tests in DVSA data.

About 24.8% of MOT tests recorded on the Daimler Sovereign in DVSA data end in a failure. The same handful of items account for most of them.

Its most common failure is brakes, which makes up 41.0% of the Daimler Sovereign's failures, followed by brakes, lamps & electrical, suspension, visibility/wipers. 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

Brakes41.0% 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.

Lamps & electrical40.1% 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.

Suspension34.2% 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.

Visibility/wipers25.4% of failures

Visibility failures include torn or smearing wiper blades, a washer jet that does not reach the screen, and chips or cracks in the driver's swept area. Blades and washer fluid are quick, cheap fixes.

Exhaust & emissions22.5% of failures

Exhaust failures cover leaks, insecure mountings and emissions over the limit. A blowing exhaust, a failed lambda reading or a diesel that smokes beyond the limit will fail.

Steering16.1% of failures

Steering faults are typically worn track-rod ends or ball joints, play in the rack, or a split gaiter letting grease out and dirt in. Excessive free play at the wheel fails.

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).

198027.7% fail · 119 tests
198123.1% fail · 156 tests
198231.8% fail · 434 tests
198325.9% fail · 998 tests
198424.1% fail · 112 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 brakes failure: Daimler Sovereign brake pads and discsSearch Amazon for Daimler Sovereign brake pads and discsaffiliate searchFind Daimler Sovereign brake pads and discs on eBayaffiliate
For the lamps & electrical failure: Daimler Sovereign headlight and indicator bulbsSearch Amazon for Daimler Sovereign headlight and indicator bulbsaffiliate searchFind Daimler Sovereign headlight and indicator bulbs on eBayaffiliate
For the suspension failure: Daimler Sovereign suspension springs and shock absorbersSearch Amazon for Daimler Sovereign suspension springs and shock absorbersaffiliate searchFind Daimler Sovereign suspension springs and shock absorbers on eBayaffiliate
For the visibility/wipers failure: Daimler Sovereign wiper bladesSearch Amazon for Daimler Sovereign wiper bladesaffiliate searchFind Daimler Sovereign wiper blades on eBayaffiliate
For the exhaust & emissions failure: Daimler Sovereign exhaustSearch Amazon for Daimler Sovereign exhaustaffiliate searchFind Daimler Sovereign exhaust on eBayaffiliate
For the steering failure: Daimler Sovereign steering track rod endsSearch Amazon for Daimler Sovereign steering track rod endsaffiliate searchFind Daimler Sovereign steering track rod ends on eBayaffiliate

Other models

Daimler V8 MOT failures22.5% failure rateDaimler Super MOT failures21.6% failure rateDaimler Limousine MOT failures25.0% 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