1,749 tests in 2025
Morris Minor reliability and MOT pass rate
82% passed first time. The 18% fail rate is 4.6 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 58 years old with 45,228 miles.
Pass rate
82%
22.6% of all cars failed; 18% of these did.
Fixed on the day
2.9%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
45,228 mi
58 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 0 | — |
| 6-9 years | 3 | — |
| 10-13 years | 3 | — |
| 14+ years | 1,743 | 18% |
What the Minor 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.
- Brakes79 dangerous60.8%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment18 dangerous44.3%
- Suspension10 dangerous26.1%
- Visibility21.3%
- Steering20.4%
- Body, chassis, structure7 dangerous13.4%
- Tyres10 dangerous3.5%
- Noise, emissions and leaks3.2%
The exact defects that fail it
Every failure item DVSA recorded against a Minor in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Service brake imbalance: across an axle101 tests
- 2Service brake performance: excessively binding48 tests
- 3Steering rack: gaiter missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt48 tests
- 4Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements46 tests
- 5Washers: not working30 tests
- 6Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength29 tests
- 7Position lamp: not working25 tests
- 8Service brake performance: efficiency below requirements25 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Minor collects 2.19 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.
- 1Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine213 tests
- 2Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure75 tests
- 3Transmission oil leaks: leaking excessively from transmission53 tests
- 4Service brake performance: excessively binding51 tests
- 5Wheel bearings: has excessive play49 tests
- 6Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn47 tests
- 7Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak38 tests
- 8Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm36 tests
Questions
What is the Morris Minor MOT pass rate?
82% of the 1,749 Morris Minor first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 18% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 2.9% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Morris Minor usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Service brake imbalance: across an axle", recorded on 101 failed tests, followed by "Service brake performance: excessively binding" and "Steering rack: gaiter missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt". By section, brakes appears in 60.8% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 44.3% of failures, suspension appears in 26.1% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was n/a%; at 14+ years it was 18%. The median Morris Minor tested in 2025 was 58 years old with 45,228 miles.
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 Minor trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.
Checking a particular Minor?
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.