The MOT Files

Steering and drive

How long do driveshaft gaiters last?

Data updated

Quick answer

Across every car tested in Britain, driveshaft gaiters fail the MOT at 0.1 per 100 tests at three to five years old and 3.0 at 15 years and older — 21 times the rate. Failures reach half their peak from 12 to 14 years, which is when to have them checked. The rubber boot over each CV joint splits with age and flexing, then throws grease and lets grit destroy the joint.

Per 100 MOT tests

Driveshaft gaiters: failures and advisories by car age

FailuresAdvisories
3–5 yrsreg. 2020–2022
0.1
0.0
6–8 yrsreg. 2017–2019
0.6
0.0
9–11 yrsreg. 2014–2016
1.3
0.0
12–14 yrsreg. 2011–2013
2.1
0.0
15+ yrsreg. 2010 and earlier
3.0
0.0

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

Steering and drive

Other parts in the same system

Every part, every age

Common questions

How long do driveshaft gaiters last?
Across the British fleet, driveshaft gaiters barely fail before 12 to 14 years: 0.1 failures per 100 tests at three to five years, rising to 3.0 at 15 years and older, 21 times the rate. The rubber boot over each CV joint splits with age and flexing, then throws grease and lets grit destroy the joint.
At what age should I have driveshaft gaiters checked?
From about 12 to 14 years, when failures reach half their peak rate across the fleet. Advisories for driveshaft gaiters run ahead of failures by a year or two, so a car whose MOT history shows one is on the curve.
Is a worn driveshaft gaiter an MOT failure?
It depends on how worn. "Driveshaft CV joint gaiter split or missing" 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