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The cars that fail most on lights and electrics

24.0%
The Mercedes-Benz 308 records the most lights and electrics MOT defects per test of any high-volume car

Which cars fail their MOT most on lights and electrics?

Ranked by lights and electrics defects recorded per MOT test, the Mercedes-Benz 308 records this area most often at 24.0%. A single test can record more than one defect, so this measures how prone a model is to lights and electrics faults, not the share of tests failed overall.

#ModelLights and electrics defects per testLights and electrics defectsTests analysed
1Mercedes-Benz 30824.0%23,74098,715
2Mercedes-Benz 20821.6%19,09088,485
3Vauxhall Sintra21.0%6,65131,615
4Mercedes-Benz 31220.8%5,46126,314
5Leyland Daf 40020.2%4,71323,337
6Citroen C1519.8%30,450153,665
7Ford P10019.0%6,43133,782
8Suzuki Super19.0%7,30638,535
9Carbodies Taxi/Hire18.8%4,94426,266
10Alfa Romeo 14618.8%6,66835,546
11Ldv 40018.8%44,665238,115
12Ldv Convoy18.7%98,723527,693
13Vauxhall Brava18.7%16,86690,424
14Vauxhall Rascal18.5%5,58530,124
15Volkswagen Delivery18.4%3,91321,236
16Volkswagen Lt18.4%102,438557,010
17Bedford Cf18.1%3,28018,102
18Ford Courier18.1%5,87532,455
19Alfa Romeo 14518.0%5,23029,035
20Ldv 20017.9%10,19956,962
21Vauxhall Midi17.8%3,32418,680
22Citroen Ax17.7%61,975350,263
23Suzuki Sj41317.6%6,02934,232
24Talbot Express17.6%41,323234,748
25Rover 11517.3%2,93516,962
26Hyundai H10017.3%6,83639,553
27Fiat Cinquecento17.3%36,078209,105
28Suzuki Sj41017.2%2,80216,290
29Vauxhall Arena17.2%2,77716,145
30Austin MINI17.0%35,121206,909
31Rover 42016.9%62,577369,483
32Iveco Daily16.9%193,2051,140,778
33Nissan Cabstar16.8%58,491347,743
34Saab 900016.7%28,372170,031
35Reliant Robin16.6%9,05354,438
36Volkswagen Motor16.6%19,495117,404
37Peugeot 20516.6%98,671594,278
38Rover 22016.6%42,845258,088
39Volkswagen Type16.6%3,41620,623
40Nissan Serena16.4%24,292148,451
41Nissan D2116.3%5,03630,836
42Bedford Rascal16.3%2,81217,302
43Daewoo Espero16.3%5,44433,498
44Volkswagen Camper16.2%23,135143,106
45Daihatsu Hijet16.1%18,186112,720
46Austin Morris MINI16.1%7,14344,380
47Nissan Vanette16.1%33,132206,379
48Vauxhall Calibra16.0%18,114113,102
49Proton Compact16.0%3,08619,344
50Mitsubishi Canter15.9%7,96049,994

How this is worked out

Every figure is computed from the full DVSA MOT test and defect record, not a survey or a poll. Rates are the share of MOT tests that end in a failure (or a pass); area figures count that area's recorded defects against tests taken. A model is only ranked once it clears a minimum test count, so a single unlucky batch cannot distort a list. Motorcycles, which share the MOT dataset, are excluded so these are genuine car rankings. Age is the strongest driver of MOT failure, so older models and vans naturally rank higher. Figures describe how a model performs across the fleet; they are not a diagnosis of any individual car.

Data as of September 2026.

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Sources: DVSA MOT History API: MOT test results and defect data ยท DVSA MOT testing data for Great Britain