The MOT Files

Suspension

How long do suspension bushes last?

Data updated

Quick answer

Across every car tested in Britain, suspension bushes fail the MOT at 0.6 per 100 tests at three to five years old and 12.9 at 15 years and older — 20 times the rate. Failures reach half their peak from 12 to 14 years, which is when to have them checked. Rubber bushes in arms and links perish and split with age and load; the most recorded suspension item on the test.

Per 100 MOT tests

Suspension bushes: failures and advisories by car age

FailuresAdvisories
3–5 yrsreg. 2020–2022
0.6
2.4
6–8 yrsreg. 2017–2019
2.4
6.7
9–11 yrsreg. 2014–2016
6.4
13.8
12–14 yrsreg. 2011–2013
10.8
20.3
15+ yrsreg. 2010 and earlier
12.9
24.5

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

Suspension

Other parts in the same system

Every part, every age

Common questions

How long do suspension bushes last?
Across the British fleet, suspension bushes barely fail before 12 to 14 years: 0.6 failures per 100 tests at three to five years, rising to 12.9 at 15 years and older, 20 times the rate. Rubber bushes in arms and links perish and split with age and load; the most recorded suspension item on the test.
At what age should I have suspension bushes checked?
From about 12 to 14 years, when failures reach half their peak rate across the fleet. Advisories for suspension bushes run ahead of failures by a year or two, so a car whose MOT history shows one is on the curve.
Is a worn suspension bushe an MOT failure?
It depends on how worn. "Suspension arm bush worn" and "Suspension joint dust cover missing or split" 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