The MOT Files

Visibility

How long do wiper blades and washers last?

Data updated

Quick answer

Across every car tested in Britain, wiper blades and washers fail the MOT at 2.1 per 100 tests at three to five years old and 5.3 at 15 years and older — 3 times the rate. Failures reach half their peak from 9 to 11 years, which is when to have them checked. Rubber blades harden and split within a year or two; washer jets block and pumps fail.

Per 100 MOT tests

Wiper blades and washers: failures and advisories by car age

FailuresAdvisories
3–5 yrsreg. 2020–2022
2.1
0.0
6–8 yrsreg. 2017–2019
2.2
0.0
9–11 yrsreg. 2014–2016
2.9
0.0
12–14 yrsreg. 2011–2013
3.8
0.0
15+ yrsreg. 2010 and earlier
5.3
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

Common questions

How long do wiper blades and washers last?
Across the British fleet, wiper blades and washers barely fail before 9 to 11 years: 2.1 failures per 100 tests at three to five years, rising to 5.3 at 15 years and older, 3 times the rate. Rubber blades harden and split within a year or two; washer jets block and pumps fail.
At what age should I have wiper blades and washers checked?
From about 9 to 11 years, when failures reach half their peak rate across the fleet. Advisories for wiper blades and washers run ahead of failures by a year or two, so a car whose MOT history shows one is on the curve.
Is a worn wiper blades and washer an MOT failure?
It depends on how worn. "Wiper or washer not working properly" 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