New report reveals cars most likely to fail MoT

14:27 14 January 2010

A list of the vehicles most likely to fail their first MoT has been released.

In a U—turn judgement, the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) have published a list of the worst performing cars when it comes to getting that all important road worthiness test.

VOSA had initially declined to supply the BBC with the information after the corporation made the request under the Freedom of Information Act, but following an 18-month battle their decision was overturned.

The 1,200 page document revealed that the Ford Transit Connect was the worst of all, with a failure rate of 30.5%. The larger Ford Transit van also topped list of the worst performers in third place with a 26.3% failure rate.

However it was the Renault Megane, which was the worst performing car (28.1%) earning a place in second position on the chart.

The Peugeot 307 came the fourth (24.7%) and the Vauxhall Corsa (24.7%) was fifth most likely car to not meet required MoT standards.

The figures published relate to MoT testing results from 2007, as the request was made back in 2008. However, VOSA have stated that they will also publish data from 2008 and 2009 later this year.

The release of the data, which shows how often different makes and models fail MoTs, means that car and van buyers will now have access to the detailed records of individual models, including reasons for failures.

An annual MoT test is compulsory for every car over three years old and is checked for a number of different things, including steering, suspension and braking. If a vehicle fails on one aspect (no matter how trivial) it cannot pass.

The figures show wide variation between different models, even when comparing vehicles of the same age and more than one in five vehicles were shown to fail their first MoT test.

Worst five failing cars (2004 models)

Ford Transit – 30.5%

Renault Megane – 28.1%

Ford Transit – 26.3%

Peugeot 307 – 24.7%

Vauxhall Corsa – 24.7%

Better performers (Most popular cars made in 2004)

Toyota Corolla – 11.2%

Honda Jazz – 13.3%

Honda Civic – 14.1%

Toyota Yaris – 14.2%

Ford Fiesta – 15.6%

Find out how your car performed here.