Know Your MOT
15.4%fail rate

Noble M12 common MOT failures and failure rate

What a Noble M12 fails its MOT on, from real DVSA test data, and the part that resolves each item.

Based on 1,208 MOT tests in DVSA data.

About 15.4% of MOT tests recorded on the Noble M12 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 40.3% of the Noble M12's failures, followed by lamps & electrical, brakes, exhaust & emissions, 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

Lamps & electrical40.3% 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.

Brakes30.6% 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.

Exhaust & emissions21.5% 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.

Visibility/wipers12.4% 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.

Suspension10.8% 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.

Registration plate7.5% of failures

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

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).

200216.9% fail · 344 tests
200314.0% fail · 544 tests
200416.9% fail · 207 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: Noble M12 headlight and indicator bulbsSearch Amazon for Noble M12 headlight and indicator bulbsaffiliate searchFind Noble M12 headlight and indicator bulbs on eBayaffiliate
For the brakes failure: Noble M12 brake pads and discsSearch Amazon for Noble M12 brake pads and discsaffiliate searchFind Noble M12 brake pads and discs on eBayaffiliate
For the exhaust & emissions failure: Noble M12 exhaustSearch Amazon for Noble M12 exhaustaffiliate searchFind Noble M12 exhaust on eBayaffiliate
For the visibility/wipers failure: Noble M12 wiper bladesSearch Amazon for Noble M12 wiper bladesaffiliate searchFind Noble M12 wiper blades on eBayaffiliate
For the suspension failure: Noble M12 suspension springs and shock absorbersSearch Amazon for Noble M12 suspension springs and shock absorbersaffiliate searchFind Noble M12 suspension springs and shock absorbers on eBayaffiliate
For the registration plate failure: Noble M12 number plateSearch Amazon for Noble M12 number plateaffiliate searchFind Noble M12 number plate on eBayaffiliate

Other models

Noble M400 MOT failures15.7% failure rateNoble M12 Gto MOT failures19.0% failure rateNoble M12gto MOT failures16.6% 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