Know Your MOT
5.2%fail rate

Silk 700s common MOT failures and failure rate

What a Silk 700s fails its MOT on, from real DVSA test data, and the part that resolves each item.

Based on 155 MOT tests in DVSA data.

About 5.2% of MOT tests recorded on the Silk 700s 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 25.0% of the Silk 700s's failures, followed by lamps & electrical, other, brakes, suspension. 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 & electrical25.0% 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.

Other12.5% of failures

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

Brakes12.5% 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.

Suspension12.5% 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.

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: Silk 700s headlight and indicator bulbsSearch Amazon for Silk 700s headlight and indicator bulbsaffiliate searchFind Silk 700s headlight and indicator bulbs on eBayaffiliate
For the brakes failure: Silk 700s brake pads and discsSearch Amazon for Silk 700s brake pads and discsaffiliate searchFind Silk 700s brake pads and discs on eBayaffiliate
For the suspension failure: Silk 700s suspension springs and shock absorbersSearch Amazon for Silk 700s suspension springs and shock absorbersaffiliate searchFind Silk 700s suspension springs and shock absorbers on eBayaffiliate

Other models

Silk 700 MOT failures26.5% failure rateSilk Scott MOT failures4.8% failure rateSilk 500s MOT failures10.5% 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