At what age should I have bulbs and lamps checked?

From about 12 to 14 years, when failures reach half their peak rate across the fleet. Advisories for bulbs and lamps run ahead of failures by a year or two, so a car whose MOT history shows one is on the curve.

Is a worn bulbs and lamp an MOT failure?

It depends on how worn. "Lamp not working" and "Headlamp not working" are the defects testers record; each page explains the threshold at which the item fails rather than being advised.

Lighting

How long do bulbs and lamps last?

Data updated 3 September 2026

Quick answer

Across every car tested in Britain, bulbs and lamps fail the MOT at 1.0 per 100 tests at three to five years old and 15.7 at 15 years and older — 15 times the rate. Failures reach half their peak from 12 to 14 years, which is when to have them checked. Filament bulbs simply expire; the cheapest and most avoidable failure on the test, and one of the most recorded.

Per 100 MOT tests

Bulbs and lamps: failures and advisories by car age

FailuresAdvisories

3–5 yrsreg. 2020–2022: 1.0
0.2
6–8 yrsreg. 2017–2019: 2.6
0.5
9–11 yrsreg. 2014–2016: 5.6
1.3
12–14 yrsreg. 2011–2013: 11.5
4.3
15+ yrsreg. 2010 and earlier: 15.7
7.9

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

“A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning”peaks at 15+ yrs · 4.7 per 100 tests
“Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning”peaks at 15+ yrs · 2.7 per 100 tests
“A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED”peaks at 15+ yrs · 1.5 per 100 tests
“A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps”peaks at 15+ yrs · 1.5 per 100 tests
“Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements”peaks at 15+ yrs · 1.0 per 100 tests
“An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning”peaks at 15+ yrs · 0.9 per 100 tests
“Product on the lens or light source which obviously reduces light intensity or changes emitted colour to other than white or yellow”peaks at 15+ yrs · 0.7 per 100 tests
“A direction indicator lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning”peaks at 15+ yrs · 0.6 per 100 tests

When it fails

The defects behind it, explained

Common questions

How long do bulbs and lamps last?: Across the British fleet, bulbs and lamps barely fail before 12 to 14 years: 1.0 failures per 100 tests at three to five years, rising to 15.7 at 15 years and older, 15 times the rate. Filament bulbs simply expire; the cheapest and most avoidable failure on the test, and one of the most recorded.
At what age should I have bulbs and lamps checked?: From about 12 to 14 years, when failures reach half their peak rate across the fleet. Advisories for bulbs and lamps run ahead of failures by a year or two, so a car whose MOT history shows one is on the curve.
Is a worn bulbs and lamp an MOT failure?: It depends on how worn. "Lamp not working" and "Headlamp not working" 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 3 September 2026