Know Your MOT
31.9%fail rate

Proton Satria common MOT failures and failure rate

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

Based on 31,398 MOT tests in DVSA data.

About 31.9% of MOT tests recorded on the Proton Satria 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 41.5% of the Proton Satria's failures, followed by lamps & electrical, brakes, steering, tyres. 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 & electrical41.5% 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.

Brakes37.4% 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.

Steering24.9% 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.

Tyres20.0% 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.

Exhaust & emissions18.5% 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/wipers15.3% 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).

199929.5% fail · 149 tests
200034.3% fail · 4,215 tests
200133.6% fail · 8,620 tests
200230.7% fail · 7,074 tests
200329.8% fail · 5,596 tests
200429.9% fail · 4,185 tests
200735.1% fail · 996 tests
200835.6% fail · 348 tests
200927.7% fail · 141 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: Proton Satria headlight and indicator bulbsSearch Amazon for Proton Satria headlight and indicator bulbsaffiliate searchFind Proton Satria headlight and indicator bulbs on eBayaffiliate
For the brakes failure: Proton Satria brake pads and discsSearch Amazon for Proton Satria brake pads and discsaffiliate searchFind Proton Satria brake pads and discs on eBayaffiliate
For the steering failure: Proton Satria steering track rod endsSearch Amazon for Proton Satria steering track rod endsaffiliate searchFind Proton Satria steering track rod ends on eBayaffiliate
For the tyres failure: Proton Satria tyresSearch Amazon for Proton Satria tyresaffiliate searchFind Proton Satria tyres on eBayaffiliate
For the exhaust & emissions failure: Proton Satria exhaustSearch Amazon for Proton Satria exhaustaffiliate searchFind Proton Satria exhaust on eBayaffiliate
For the visibility/wipers failure: Proton Satria wiper bladesSearch Amazon for Proton Satria wiper bladesaffiliate searchFind Proton Satria 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