Brakes
How long do brake discs last?
Data updated
Quick answer
Across every car tested in Britain, brake discs fail the MOT at 0.5 per 100 tests at three to five years old and 1.8 at 12 to 14 years — 3 times the rate. Failures reach half their peak from 6 to 8 years, which is when to have them checked. Discs thin with each pad set and pit or corrode when lightly used; failure is for significant wear, fracture or insecurity, advisory for surface condition.
Per 100 MOT tests
Brake discs: failures and advisories by car age
FailuresAdvisories
- 3–5 yrsreg. 2020–2022
- 0.59.9
- 6–8 yrsreg. 2017–2019
- 1.015.0
- 9–11 yrsreg. 2014–2016
- 1.517.7
- 12–14 yrsreg. 2011–2013
- 1.819.2
- 15+ yrsreg. 2010 and earlier
- 1.718.9
Items recorded per 100 class 4 tests at each age, across the whole fleet. Advisories run ahead of failures: the tester saw the part wearing and said so a year or two before it failed. Peak band highlighted.
DVSA recorded wording
What the tester writes
- “Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn”peaks at 12–14 yrs · 0.9 per 100 tests
- “Excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution.”peaks at 15+ yrs · 0.5 per 100 tests
- “Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured”peaks at 12–14 yrs · 0.4 per 100 tests
When it fails
The defects behind it, explained
Brakes
Other parts in the same system
- Brake pads and shoesany age
- Brake pipesfrom 12–14 yrs
- Brake hosesfrom 15+ yrs
Common questions
- How long do brake discs last?
- Across the British fleet, brake discs barely fail before 6 to 8 years: 0.5 failures per 100 tests at three to five years, rising to 1.8 at 12 to 14 years, 3 times the rate. Discs thin with each pad set and pit or corrode when lightly used; failure is for significant wear, fracture or insecurity, advisory for surface condition.
- At what age should I have brake discs checked?
- From about 6 to 8 years, when failures reach half their peak rate across the fleet. Advisories for brake discs run ahead of failures by a year or two, so a car whose MOT history shows one is on the curve.
- Is a worn brake disc an MOT failure?
- It depends on how worn. "Brake disc worn, pitted or scored" and "Brake disc below its minimum thickness" are the defects testers record; each page explains the threshold at which the item fails rather than being advised.
Analysis built from DVSA data of