The MOT Files

Brakes

How long do brake pipes last?

Data updated

Quick answer

Across every car tested in Britain, brake pipes fail the MOT at 0.0 per 100 tests at three to five years old and 2.4 at 15 years and older. Failures reach half their peak from 12 to 14 years, which is when to have them checked. Steel pipes under the car corrode from salt and moisture, fastest on cars kept outside in wet or coastal areas; failure is for excessive corrosion or damage.

Per 100 MOT tests

Brake pipes: failures and advisories by car age

FailuresAdvisories
3–5 yrsreg. 2020–2022
0.0
0.1
6–8 yrsreg. 2017–2019
0.2
1.3
9–11 yrsreg. 2014–2016
0.5
3.9
12–14 yrsreg. 2011–2013
1.2
7.5
15+ yrsreg. 2010 and earlier
2.4
14.8

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

When it fails

The defects behind it, explained

Brakes

Other parts in the same system

Every part, every age

Common questions

How long do brake pipes last?
Across the British fleet, brake pipes barely fail before 12 to 14 years: 0.0 failures per 100 tests at three to five years, rising to 2.4 at 15 years and older. Steel pipes under the car corrode from salt and moisture, fastest on cars kept outside in wet or coastal areas; failure is for excessive corrosion or damage.
At what age should I have brake pipes checked?
From about 12 to 14 years, when failures reach half their peak rate across the fleet. Advisories for brake pipes 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 pipe an MOT failure?
It depends on how worn. "Brake pipe corroded" is the defect testers record; each page explains the threshold at which the item fails rather than being advised.

Analysis built from DVSA data of