1,486 tests in 2025
Aston Martin Dbs reliability and MOT pass rate
95.1% passed first time. The 4.9% fail rate is 17.7 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 7 years old with 17,401 miles.
Pass rate
95.1%
22.6% of all cars failed; 4.9% of these did.
Fixed on the day
1%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
17,401 mi
7 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 420 | 3.6% |
| 6-9 years | 337 | 5.6% |
| 10-13 years | 102 | — |
| 14+ years | 626 | 5.9% |
What the Dbs fails on
Share of failed tests with at least one fail item in each DVSA inspection section. A test can fail in several sections at once.
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment1 dangerous43.8%
- Tyres10 dangerous21.9%
- Visibility16.4%
- Identification of the vehicle9.6%
- Brakes2 dangerous8.2%
- Noise, emissions and leaks8.2%
- Body, chassis, structure4.1%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems4.1%
Is the Dbs getting worse?
The fail rate fell 1.3 points to 4.9% from 2022 to 2025, but the median one tested got 4 years younger over the same period as newer examples joined the fleet, so this is not a like-for-like comparison.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1,234 | 11 | 6.2% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 1,388 | 11 | 5% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 1,231 | 12 | 4.6% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 1,485 | 7 | 4.9% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Dbs at its test that year, and it is the number to watch: across the whole fleet each extra year of age adds roughly 1.9 points to the fail rate, so a model whose age and fail rate rise together is simply getting older.
The exact defects that fail it
Every failure item DVSA recorded against a Dbs in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Position lamp: not working9 tests
- 2Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords8 tests
- 3Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction6 tests
- 4Registration plates: does not conform to the specified requirements6 tests
- 5Washers: not working6 tests
- 6Stop lamp: not working5 tests
- 7Side repeaters: not working5 tests
- 8Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements4 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Dbs collects 2.39 of them per test, and these are the ones that come up most. Treat it as the running-repairs list for the next year or two.
- 1Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure113 tests
- 2Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm44 tests
- 3Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords24 tests
- 4Non-component advisories: Nail in tyre22 tests
- 5Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak11 tests
- 6Condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure10 tests
- 7Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded10 tests
- 8Linkage: corroded and seriously weakened9 tests
Questions
What is the Aston Martin Dbs MOT pass rate?
95.1% of the 1,486 Aston Martin Dbs first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 4.9% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 1% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Aston Martin Dbs usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Position lamp: not working", recorded on 9 failed tests, followed by "Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" and "Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction". By section, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 43.8% of failures, tyres appears in 21.9% of failures, visibility appears in 16.4% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 3.6%; at 14+ years it was 5.9%. The median Aston Martin Dbs tested in 2025 was 7 years old with 17,401 miles.
Is the Aston Martin Dbs getting less reliable?
The fail rate fell 1.3 points to 4.9% from 2022 to 2025, but the median one tested got 4 years younger over the same period as newer examples joined the fleet, so this is not a like-for-like comparison.
First-attempt class 4 tests, 2025, from DVSA’s anonymised MOT data (OGL v3, retrieved 2026-09-12). DVSA records newer cars trim by trim; this page adds every Dbs trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.
DVSA has published 8 safety recalls naming the Aston Martin Dbs: Aston Martin Dbs recalls.
Other Aston Martin models
Checking a particular Dbs?
The odds above are the model. The car in front of you has its own record: every test, every advisory, the mileage at each one.
Due a test? Find an approved MOT station near you.