1 in 5 cars fail 1st MOT
January 14th, 2010 by Richard Aucock
SHOCK figures reveal that 1 in 5 3-year-old cars fail their very first MOT test with vans leading the listings.
The information was revealed under the Freedom of Information Act by a BBC journalist.
Cars made in 2004 are the focus of the data, which had their first MOT back in 2007.
It revealed the Ford Transit Connect topped the listings, with a failure rate of 30.5 percent. The Ford Transit larger van also came out in 3rd place.
The first car, however, was the Renault Megane in 2nd place, with an above-average failure rate of 28.1 percent. Peugeot’s 307 was 4th, and the Vauxhall Corsa 5th.
Inevitably, the figures also show that older cars fail more often. The 1st-year failure rates, however, remain a concern – particularly as warranty firm Warranty Direct noted brake failure account for 36 percent of these.
The average repair bill, adds the firm, can top £400 (so it’s lucky Warranty Direct covers MOT failures as part of its warranty, it adds!).
It was kept secret for so long because VOSA was worried some brands may use it to gain an unfair advantage. Makers with ‘lower’ failure rates could publicise this, comparing themselves to rivals with ‘higher’ rates of failure.
Data also doesn’t take into condition service history either, which means many argue they are pretty unrepresentative.
Even so, the 1st year MOT failure rate data will now be published on an annual basis.
Let us know what you make of these findings – is there a case for looking at aftersales and service procedures?
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Tags: aftersales, mot, vosa