When is a car's first MOT due?

On the third anniversary of its first registration. A car registered on 14 March 2023 needs its first MOT by 14 March 2026, and annually after that. The test can be taken up to a month, minus a day, before the due date while keeping the same renewal date. Driving without a valid MOT after the due date is an offence, with the sole exception of driving to a pre-booked test.

How many cars fail their first MOT?

About one in eight. 87.2% of cars aged three to five pass, from 5,292,872 DVSA tests, against 72.3% across all ages. The first test is the one a car is most likely to pass, and the failures are overwhelmingly tyres — tyre items are recorded 88 times per 100 failed tests on young cars, against 32 across the whole fleet.

What should I check before a first MOT?

Tyres first: tread depth above 1.6 mm across the central three-quarters, no cuts, bulges or exposed cord, correct pressures. Then the things that take two minutes: every bulb including number plate lights, wiper blades that clear the screen, washer fluid, the horn, no dashboard warning lights on. Those five items account for most first-MOT failures and nearly all of them are avoidable on the driveway.

Does a first MOT include the emissions test?

Yes, for any petrol or diesel car. Electric cars have no exhaust and are not emissions tested. At three years old an emissions failure is rare on a properly serviced car, but a diesel with a particulate filter that has spent its life on short urban trips can fail on smoke.

Which new cars pass their first MOT most often?

Among models with at least 5,000 tests at three to five years, the Porsche 911 passes most often at 95.9% and the Citroen Dispatch least at 71.3%. At this age the gap between models is smaller than at any other, and mostly comes down to tyres.

Three years old · registered 2020–2022

Your car’s first MOT

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

A car's first MOT is due on the third anniversary of its registration, then every year. 87.2% of cars aged three to five pass, the highest rate of any age. Those that fail mostly fail on tyres, recorded 88 times per 100 failed tests on young cars against 32 fleet-wide; suspension, brakes and corrosion barely feature yet. Most first-MOT failures are avoidable with ten minutes on the driveway.

The first MOT is the one people worry about least and, on the evidence, the one they should worry about least: a young car is mechanically sound and the test knows it. What catches a three-year-old car out is almost never the car. It is the tyres it has been driven on, and a handful of two-minute checks nobody did.

National, cars aged 3 to 5

Seven in eight pass

87.2%of first-to-third MOTs pass · 72.3% across all ages5,292,872 tests

By six to eight years the rate has dropped to 80.9%, and it keeps falling by roughly the same step at every age. The full curve by age shows where the car you are driving is heading.

What fails

Young cars fail on tyres, and not much else

Failure items for the 83 models whose fleet is almost entirely three to five years old — recent launches like the Ford Puma and Toyota Yaris Cross — against all cars. Everything mechanical runs well below the fleet rate. Tyres run far above it.

Cars aged 3 to 5All cars

Tyres: 88.1
31.8
Suspension: 15.0
55.5
Brakes: 14.3
28.8
Wipers and screen: 13.6
14.2
Lamps: 11.2
38.5
Tyre pressure monitoring: 3.7
1.3
Number plate: 2.6
0.3
Engine and emissions: 1.7
10.6
Corrosion: 0.4
2.2

Items recorded per 100 failed tests. A failed test often lists several items, so these are not percentages of tests and can exceed 100. The measure is the same on both sides.

Before the test

The ten-minute check that passes most first MOTs

Tyres. Tread at least 1.6 mm across the central three-quarters of the width, all the way round. A 20p coin in the groove: if the outer band shows, the tyre is close to the limit. Look at the sidewalls for cuts, bulges and any sign of cord. Set the pressures. This alone removes the largest single cause of first-MOT failure.

Lights. Every bulb, including the number plate lamps, brake lights and both reversing and fog lights. Have someone stand behind the car. A blown bulb is the cheapest fail there is.

Wipers and washers. Blades that smear or judder are a failure item; washers must reach the screen. Top up the fluid.

Warning lights. Any lamp lit on the dashboard that relates to a tested system — engine management, ABS, airbag, tyre pressure — is a failure. The warning light guide covers what each one means and whether it fails.

Horn, mirrors, seatbelts, plates. Two minutes. The horn works, the mirrors are intact, the belts latch and retract, the plates are legible and correctly spaced.

The printable pre-MOT checklist covers all of this in order, and the early-test guide explains how to book up to a month ahead without losing the renewal date.

DVSA recorded wording

The items themselves

The most recorded items on failed tests of young petrol and diesel cars, per 100 failed tests.

A tyre seriously damaged29.0
A tyre cords visible or damaged10.0
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements16.4
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn2.3
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen11.1
The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements3.5

Same age, compared fairly

Which cars pass their first MOTs most

Models with at least 5,000 tests at three to five years, ranked by pass rate at that age. The full list is on the three-to-five-years page.

Highest

Lowest

When is yours due?

Enter the registration to see the first MOT due date, and save the car to your garage for a reminder.

Common questions

When is a car's first MOT due?: On the third anniversary of its first registration. A car registered on 14 March 2023 needs its first MOT by 14 March 2026, and annually after that. The test can be taken up to a month, minus a day, before the due date while keeping the same renewal date. Driving without a valid MOT after the due date is an offence, with the sole exception of driving to a pre-booked test.
How many cars fail their first MOT?: About one in eight. 87.2% of cars aged three to five pass, from 5,292,872 DVSA tests, against 72.3% across all ages. The first test is the one a car is most likely to pass, and the failures are overwhelmingly tyres — tyre items are recorded 88 times per 100 failed tests on young cars, against 32 across the whole fleet.
What should I check before a first MOT?: Tyres first: tread depth above 1.6 mm across the central three-quarters, no cuts, bulges or exposed cord, correct pressures. Then the things that take two minutes: every bulb including number plate lights, wiper blades that clear the screen, washer fluid, the horn, no dashboard warning lights on. Those five items account for most first-MOT failures and nearly all of them are avoidable on the driveway.
Does a first MOT include the emissions test?: Yes, for any petrol or diesel car. Electric cars have no exhaust and are not emissions tested. At three years old an emissions failure is rare on a properly serviced car, but a diesel with a particulate filter that has spent its life on short urban trips can fail on smoke.
Which new cars pass their first MOT most often?: Among models with at least 5,000 tests at three to five years, the Porsche 911 passes most often at 95.9% and the Citroen Dispatch least at 71.3%. At this age the gap between models is smaller than at any other, and mostly comes down to tyres.

Analysis built from DVSA data of 29 July 2026