Car expert says one day of the week has better MOT pass rate

The MOT is a legal requirement and is crucial to road safety

September and October are the peak months for MOT bookings, meaning that many will be looking to make sure their car is in shape to pass over the coming weeks, according to a motoring expert. According to the DVSA, one in five MOT tests last year resulted in failure.

If your car is due to go in for an MOT, there are various simple checks that can be made to stop your MOT adding to the large chunk of failures that come from minor issues. One expert also suggests that the day of the week is just as important to passing an MOT as the checks being made prior to the day.

Lee Caroline, scrap car specialist and owner of LJC Autospares, said “As many MOT failures come from things such as lights and signals, which many drivers may not consider checking, following a checklist of most common failure points could be the difference between a pass or fail.

"The day of the week that your car is booked to be tested is important as studies show that the pass rate over the weekend is higher than weekdays. Sunday has the highest pass rate with 78.36% of tests being successful, whereas Monday is the worst day with only 70.45% of tests passed.”

Five things you can do to make sure your car passes its MOT

Check your lights and signals - 18.9% of MOT failures come from an issue with lights and signals. Turning all the lights on in your car before it is tested can see whether a bulb is blown, or if the surrounding areas are misty and need cleaning.

Test your suspension - Suspension issues are responsible for 13% of failures and can be harder to spot. One indicator to look out for if your car has suspension issues is any clunking noises when cornering or going over speed bumps. To test your suspension, park the car flat and see if it sits straight or push on each corner and see if it returns to normal without bouncing too much.

Check your brakes - Issues relating to brakes make up 10% of MOT failures and can be solved by listening for squealing when braking or checking whether your car pulls to either side when the brakes are applied. If the wheels are removed, checking the brake pads and discs to see if they are worn and need replacing can help you to pass your MOT.

Checking your tyres - Though it is less than a tenth of MOT failures, issues with tyres still contribute 7.7%. The legal limit for tyre tread depth is 1.6mm for the central 75% in the middle of the tyre’s entire circumference, but even if a tyre is below 3mm, there can be an increase in stopping time. By using a 20p coin along the tyre, you can see whether the tread depth is legal as you should not be able to see the outer band of the coin’s design.

Checking your windscreen - Various problems that can impact on the driver’s vision make up 7.2% of MOT failures. Checks to avoid this can include making sure there are no chips or cracks in the windscreen or making sure that your wipers are functioning properly. The maximum length that a windscreen crack can be is 10mm in the eyeline of the driver. If either the windscreen or wipers need replaced, this can be done to avoid MOT failure.