Know Your MOT
38.3%fail rate

Proton Persona Xli common MOT failures and failure rate

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

Based on 5,559 MOT tests in DVSA data.

About 38.3% of MOT tests recorded on the Proton Persona Xli 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 59.8% of the Proton Persona Xli's failures, followed by brakes, lamps & electrical, tyres, steering. 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

Brakes59.8% 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 & electrical51.5% 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.

Tyres25.1% 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.

Steering22.5% 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.

Exhaust & emissions20.3% 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/wipers15.7% 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.

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).

199442.1% fail · 361 tests
199540.4% fail · 280 tests
199635.2% fail · 495 tests
199738.9% fail · 2,094 tests
199838.1% fail · 1,542 tests
199936.3% fail · 721 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: Proton Persona Xli brake pads and discsSearch Amazon for Proton Persona Xli brake pads and discsaffiliate searchFind Proton Persona Xli brake pads and discs on eBayaffiliate
For the lamps & electrical failure: Proton Persona Xli headlight and indicator bulbsSearch Amazon for Proton Persona Xli headlight and indicator bulbsaffiliate searchFind Proton Persona Xli headlight and indicator bulbs on eBayaffiliate
For the tyres failure: Proton Persona Xli tyresSearch Amazon for Proton Persona Xli tyresaffiliate searchFind Proton Persona Xli tyres on eBayaffiliate
For the steering failure: Proton Persona Xli steering track rod endsSearch Amazon for Proton Persona Xli steering track rod endsaffiliate searchFind Proton Persona Xli steering track rod ends on eBayaffiliate
For the exhaust & emissions failure: Proton Persona Xli exhaustSearch Amazon for Proton Persona Xli exhaustaffiliate searchFind Proton Persona Xli exhaust on eBayaffiliate
For the visibility/wipers failure: Proton Persona Xli wiper bladesSearch Amazon for Proton Persona Xli wiper bladesaffiliate searchFind Proton Persona Xli wiper blades on eBayaffiliate

Other models

Proton Persona MOT failures34.1% failure rateProton Gen-2 MOT failures29.5% failure rateProton Wira MOT failures30.0% 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