Know Your MOT
30.0%fail rate

Rover 211 common MOT failures and failure rate

What a Rover 211 fails its MOT on, from real DVSA test data, and the part that resolves each item.

Based on 85,825 MOT tests in DVSA data.

About 30.0% of MOT tests recorded on the Rover 211 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 33.4% of the Rover 211's failures, followed by lamps & electrical, brakes, exhaust & emissions, 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 & electrical33.4% 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.

Brakes27.8% 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.

Exhaust & emissions23.4% 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.

Tyres18.9% 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.

Visibility/wipers16.1% 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.

Other15.3% of failures

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

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).

199830.3% fail · 37,289 tests
199929.6% fail · 39,263 tests
200030.8% fail · 9,178 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: Rover 211 headlight and indicator bulbsSearch Amazon for Rover 211 headlight and indicator bulbsaffiliate searchFind Rover 211 headlight and indicator bulbs on eBayaffiliate
For the brakes failure: Rover 211 brake pads and discsSearch Amazon for Rover 211 brake pads and discsaffiliate searchFind Rover 211 brake pads and discs on eBayaffiliate
For the exhaust & emissions failure: Rover 211 exhaustSearch Amazon for Rover 211 exhaustaffiliate searchFind Rover 211 exhaust on eBayaffiliate
For the tyres failure: Rover 211 tyresSearch Amazon for Rover 211 tyresaffiliate searchFind Rover 211 tyres on eBayaffiliate
For the visibility/wipers failure: Rover 211 wiper bladesSearch Amazon for Rover 211 wiper bladesaffiliate searchFind Rover 211 wiper blades on eBayaffiliate

Other models

Rover 25 MOT failures27.9% failure rateRover 75 MOT failures29.3% failure rateRover 214 MOT failures32.4% 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