North West · postcode area M
Manchester MOT pass rate
Data updated
Quick answer
Cars tested in the Manchester area pass 73.7% of MOTs once results are adjusted for their age and mileage, about the national average of 72.2% and ranking 42 of 118 areas in Britain. From 498,544 tests. Corrosion items are recorded 2.4 times per 100 failures here, ranking 86 of 118 for rust.
At a glance
Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage
Manchester is 1.5 percentage points above the national pass rate once the age and mileage of its cars are accounted for. Cars here average 78,680 miles at test.
DVSA recorded wording
What cars fail on in Manchester
Share of failed tests in the area that recorded each item. One failed test often lists several, so these do not sum to 100%.
- 1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements15.7%
- 2.a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm13.5%
- 3.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened13.4%
- 4.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning9.7%
- 5.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen8.0%
- 6.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn7.7%
- 7.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn7.6%
- 8.Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning7.3%
- 9.A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc6.8%
- 10.A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED6.0%
Corrosion
2.4 corrosion items per 100 failed tests
That ranks Manchester 86 of 118 areas for rust. Corrosion is a minor factor in this area's failures, as it is across most of urban England. What structural corrosion means for the test.
Warnings without a failure
Most common advisories
- Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements20.7% of tests
- Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured10.6% of tests
- A tyre seriously damaged10.5% of tests
- a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm9.4% of tests
- A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn7.1% of tests
- A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened5.9% of tests
How wear changes the picture
Pass rate by age in Manchester
What gets tested here
Makes most often tested in Manchester
- Ford57,271 tests
- Volkswagen44,945 tests
- Vauxhall43,454 tests
- Toyota42,929 tests
- BMW31,716 tests
- Mercedes-Benz31,501 tests
- Nissan30,542 tests
- Audi28,326 tests
North West
Other areas in North West
Common questions
- What is the MOT pass rate in Manchester?
- 73.7% of MOT tests in the Manchester postcode area (M) pass once results are adjusted for the age and mileage of the cars tested, which is about the national average of 72.2%. The unadjusted figure is 72.9%. That ranks Manchester 42 of 118 areas in England, Scotland and Wales.
- What do cars fail on most in Manchester?
- The item recorded most often on failed tests in Manchester is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", in 15.7% of failed tests, followed by "a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm" (13.5%). Corrosion-related items are recorded 2.4 times per 100 failed tests here, which ranks 86 of 118 areas for corrosion.
- Does this mean garages here are stricter or more lenient?
- No. The figure describes the cars tested in Manchester, not the testers. Every MOT station applies the same inspection manual, and DVSA monitors testing standards nationally. A regional difference reflects the local fleet and local conditions — roads, weather, salt, how far cars are driven — rather than how hard the test is.
- Is Manchester a bad area to buy a used car from?
- The area itself is not a concern. Corrosion is recorded less often on failed tests here than in coastal and northern areas, so a car from Manchester is, on the evidence, less likely to carry rust problems than one from Scotland or the West Country. The individual car's MOT history still matters far more than its postcode.
Analysis built from DVSA data of