Know Your MOT
15.0%fail rate

Morgan Morgan common MOT failures and failure rate

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

Based on 346 MOT tests in DVSA data.

About 15.0% of MOT tests recorded on the Morgan Morgan 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 46.2% of the Morgan Morgan's failures, followed by lamps & electrical, brakes, visibility/wipers, other. 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 & electrical46.2% 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.

Brakes36.5% 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.

Visibility/wipers19.2% 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.

Other15.4% of failures

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

Tyres11.5% 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.

Steering5.8% 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.

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: Morgan Morgan headlight and indicator bulbsSearch Amazon for Morgan Morgan headlight and indicator bulbsaffiliate searchFind Morgan Morgan headlight and indicator bulbs on eBayaffiliate
For the brakes failure: Morgan Morgan brake pads and discsSearch Amazon for Morgan Morgan brake pads and discsaffiliate searchFind Morgan Morgan brake pads and discs on eBayaffiliate
For the visibility/wipers failure: Morgan Morgan wiper bladesSearch Amazon for Morgan Morgan wiper bladesaffiliate searchFind Morgan Morgan wiper blades on eBayaffiliate
For the tyres failure: Morgan Morgan tyresSearch Amazon for Morgan Morgan tyresaffiliate searchFind Morgan Morgan tyres on eBayaffiliate
For the steering failure: Morgan Morgan steering track rod endsSearch Amazon for Morgan Morgan steering track rod endsaffiliate searchFind Morgan Morgan steering track rod ends on eBayaffiliate

Other models

Morgan 4/4 MOT failures15.4% failure rateMorgan Plus MOT failures14.4% failure rateMorgan Roadster MOT failures12.6% failure rateFord Fiesta MOT failures27.1% failure rate

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