80,084 tests in 2025
Tesla Model 3 reliability and MOT pass rate
85.7% passed first time. The 14.3% fail rate is 8.3 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 4 years old with 46,522 miles.
Pass rate
85.7%
22.6% of all cars failed; 14.3% of these did.
Fixed on the day
1.3%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
46,522 mi
4 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 69,729 | 14.1% |
| 6-9 years | 9,598 | 16.2% |
| 10-13 years | 0 | — |
| 14+ years | 1 | — |
What the Model 3 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.
- Tyres10,986 dangerous76.1%
- Suspension81 dangerous16.5%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment2 dangerous8.4%
- Brakes146 dangerous5%
- Visibility2 dangerous4.6%
- Road Wheels202 dangerous1.8%
- Identification of the vehicle1.5%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems2 dangerous0.7%
Is the Model 3 getting worse?
The fail rate rose 2.8 points to 14.3% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 9,909 | — | 11.5% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 32,813 | — | 14.8% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 57,511 | — | 14.8% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 79,852 | — | 14.3% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Model 3 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 Model 3 in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm3,694 tests
- 2Condition: has ply or cords exposed2,721 tests
- 3Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords2,064 tests
- 4Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn1,133 tests
- 5Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn756 tests
- 6Tyre pressure monitoring system: malfunctioning or obviously inoperative673 tests
- 7Condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure475 tests
- 8Headlamp aim: too low275 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Model 3 collects 2.24 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.
- 1Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm16,567 tests
- 2Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened6,793 tests
- 3Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn5,622 tests
- 4Tread depth: tread pattern not visible over the whole tread area when minimum depth required is 1.0mm2,555 tests
- 5Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords2,454 tests
- 6Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn2,197 tests
- 7Non-component advisories: Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt2,085 tests
- 8Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure1,902 tests
Questions
What is the Tesla Model 3 MOT pass rate?
85.7% of the 80,084 Tesla Model 3 first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 14.3% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 1.3% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Tesla Model 3 usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm", recorded on 3,694 failed tests, followed by "Condition: has ply or cords exposed" and "Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords". By section, tyres appears in 76.1% of failures, suspension appears in 16.5% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 8.4% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 14.1%; at 6-9 years it was 16.2%. The median Tesla Model 3 tested in 2025 was 4 years old with 46,522 miles.
Is the Tesla Model 3 getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 2.8 points to 14.3% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
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 Model 3 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 11 safety recalls naming the Tesla Model 3: Tesla Model 3 recalls.
Other Tesla models
Checking a particular Model 3?
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.