Fault File

The state of the UK's cars

What the 2025 MOT results show once you line up 340 of the most common models side by side. Pick a story below.

The wear curve

How failure climbs with mileage and with age. Drop in any model and see it against its class.

Petrol, diesel, hybrid, electric

How much fuel type really changes your odds of failing, and where it does not.

What actually fails, and when

Corrosion with age, brakes and suspension with miles, and how much is just wear.

Segment showdown

Which body types hold up, by failure rate and typical mileage.

Garage queens and workhorses

The cars that look good by age but hard by miles, and the reverse.

The extremes

Most and least likely to fail, most corrosion-prone, fastest to age.