What does 4.9.2 mean on an MOT certificate?

It refers to sub-section 4.9.2 of the MOT inspection manual, "Compliance with requirements", within section 4, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment. The letter or letters after it — (a), (b)(i) and so on — identify the specific defect from the 1 listed here. 0 Major and 1 Minor.

Which compliance with requirements defect is recorded most often?

None of the clauses in this sub-section appears among the most-recorded failure items nationally; they are rare in practice.

Does a Minor defect fail the MOT?

No. a defect with no significant effect on safety or the environment. Recorded on the certificate; the vehicle passes. Major and Dangerous defects fail. A Dangerous defect also means the car must not be driven until it is repaired.

Section 4 · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

4.9.2 Compliance with requirements

Manual indexed 3 September 2026

Quick answer

Sub-section 4.9.2 of the MOT inspection manual covers compliance with requirements and lists 1 defects. A reference like "(4.9.2 (a))" on a certificate points to the matching row below.

Official wording

The defect clauses

4.9.2 (a)Minor
A hazard warning lamp tell-tale is not a flashing light

Wording and categories reproduced from the DVSA inspection manual under the Open Government Licence. Frequencies are items per 100 failed class 4 tests across the DVSA anonymised MOT dataset; a clause with no figure was not recorded often enough to appear in any model’s top forty failure items. 0 of 1 clauses link to our own explanation.

Grading

What the categories mean

Dangerous: a direct and immediate risk to road safety or the environment. The vehicle fails and must not be driven until repaired, even to a garage.
Major: a defect that affects safety, the environment or other road users. The vehicle fails.
Minor: a defect with no significant effect on safety or the environment. Recorded on the certificate; the vehicle passes.

The full guide to defect grading

Section 4

Other sub-sections of lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

All sections of the manual

Common questions

What does 4.9.2 mean on an MOT certificate?: It refers to sub-section 4.9.2 of the MOT inspection manual, "Compliance with requirements", within section 4, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment. The letter or letters after it — (a), (b)(i) and so on — identify the specific defect from the 1 listed here. 0 Major and 1 Minor.
Which compliance with requirements defect is recorded most often?: None of the clauses in this sub-section appears among the most-recorded failure items nationally; they are rare in practice.
Does a Minor defect fail the MOT?: No. a defect with no significant effect on safety or the environment. Recorded on the certificate; the vehicle passes. Major and Dangerous defects fail. A Dangerous defect also means the car must not be driven until it is repaired.