Make overview
Tesla MOT pass rates by model
Data updated
Quick answer
Tesla cars pass 83.8% of MOT tests across 139,461 recorded tests, against a national average of 72.3%. Of the 4 Tesla models with MOT data, the Model S has the highest age-adjusted pass rate at 81.5%. The item recorded most often on a failed Tesla is tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements.
- Tests analysed
- 139,461
- Adjusted pass rate
- 81.5%
- Models with data
- 4
Adjusted for age and mileage
Tesla models ranked by pass rate
| Model | Adjusted pass rate | National rank | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla Model S | 81.5% | 43 of 262 | 10,836 |
Unadjusted, not ranked
Other Tesla models with MOT data
These models have at least 500 recorded tests, but their tested examples do not span enough ages and mileages to rank fairly. Their failure and advisory patterns are still drawn from real tests.
| Model | Unadjusted pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Tesla Model 3 | 84.5% | 87,484 |
| Tesla Model Y | 84.4% | 34,928 |
| Tesla Model X | 79.0% | 6,213 |
Across the range
What Tesla cars fail on most
Share of failed Tesla tests recording each item, summed across every model above.
- 1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements39.9%
- 2.A tyre cords visible or damaged36.9%
Tyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
- 3.A tyre seriously damaged28.8%
- 4.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn10.5%
- 5.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn9.8%
- 6.A tyre pressure monitoring system malfunctioning or obviously inoperative5.0%
Common questions
- What is the MOT pass rate for Tesla?
- Across 139,461 recorded MOT tests, 83.8% of Tesla tests ended in a pass, against a national average of 72.3%. Adjusted for the age and mileage of the cars tested, the figure is 81.5%. A make-level figure blends very different cars, so the individual model pages are the more useful comparison.
- Which Tesla is the most reliable on MOT evidence?
- Of the Tesla models with enough data to compare fairly, the Model S has the highest age-and-mileage-adjusted pass rate at 81.5%, ranking 43 of 262 models nationally. This reflects how often cars meet the MOT standard, not how often they break down.
- What do Tesla cars most often fail their MOT on?
- The most commonly recorded failure item across Tesla tests is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", appearing in 39.9% of failed tests. One failed test can list several items, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
- Why do some Tesla models not have a pass rate ranking?
- A model is only ranked when its tested examples cover a wide enough spread of ages and mileages for a fair comparison. 1 of the 4 Tesla models here qualify. For the rest we publish the unadjusted rate and the failure patterns, but not a rank, because comparing unadjusted rates mostly sorts cars by how new they are.
How to read these figures
Why the adjusted rate is the fair one
An unadjusted pass rate is strongly driven by the age and mileage of the cars being tested, not by how well they were built. A model bought mainly as a lightly used second car will look better than an identical car sold to high-mileage drivers. Adjusting for age and mileage compares each model against cars that have lived a similar life.
For a specific car, its own record beats any model average — check that vehicle’s MOT history and read what testers actually recorded against it.
Check any vehicle's MOT history
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