Will the power steering light fail an MOT?

Yes. Under section 2.6 of the MOT inspection manual, an electronic power steering malfunction indicator lamp indicating a system malfunction is a major defect, which means an automatic failure. Electronic power assistance that is not working at all is a separate major defect in the same section. The interesting thing about this one is how rarely it is recorded: just 205 failures across the DVSA data behind this site, against hundreds of thousands for the engine lamp. That is not because power steering is reliable — it is because heavy steering is impossible to live with, so almost everybody has it fixed long before the car reaches a test bay.

Is it safe to drive with the power steering light on?

It is usually manageable but it is not something to leave. You have not lost steering: every car sold in the UK keeps a mechanical connection between the wheel and the road wheels, so the car still goes where you point it. What you lose is the assistance, and that is weighted towards low speeds, so parking and tight junctions become very hard work while motorway driving may feel almost normal. The real risk is an emergency manoeuvre taking longer than you expect, and assistance dropping out mid-corner without warning. Drive it to a garage rather than carrying on.

Why does my power steering light come on and then go off again?

Intermittent faults are the norm on these systems, and there are three usual explanations. Low battery voltage is the most common and the most overlooked: electric power steering is one of the biggest electrical loads on the car, and a tired battery or a weak alternator makes the module shut down protectively. Thermal cut-back is the second — a long session of parking manoeuvres can heat the motor enough that the system reduces assistance until it cools. The third is a poor connection or a chafed wire that only breaks contact over bumps. A code read will separate them, because the stored code survives even after the lamp goes out.

What is the difference between EPS and hydraulic power steering?

Hydraulic systems, which is what nearly everything had until the mid-2000s, use an engine-driven pump pushing fluid through a rack. They fail through leaks, low fluid, worn pumps and slipping belts, and they rarely have a warning lamp at all — the first sign is usually a groan on full lock. Electric systems use a motor on the column or the rack, take their instructions from a torque sensor, and have no fluid to leak. They are quieter and more efficient, but they are electronic, which is why they have a malfunction lamp and why that lamp is a specific MOT defect. If your car has a reservoir under the bonnet with steering fluid in it, it is hydraulic; if there is nothing to check, it is electric.

Dashboard warning light

Power steering warning light

Last updated 27 July 2026

Quick answer

The power steering system has reported a fault and the assistance may be reduced or switched off entirely. You have not lost steering — there is still a mechanical link from the wheel to the road wheels — but the car will feel heavy, and heaviest of all at parking speeds where you need the help most.

What to do: Get it checked within days
Can you drive?: Briefly, gently

Why it is amber

A system has reported a malfunction, or something needs attention. The car is usually still driveable, but the fault will not clear itself and several amber lamps are an automatic MOT failure.

What turns it on

Electric power steering uses a torque sensor in the column to measure how hard you are turning the wheel, and a control module drives an electric motor to add the right amount of help. If the module loses its torque signal, cannot talk to the rest of the car, or sees supply voltage outside its limits, it withdraws assistance and lights the lamp rather than guessing. Many systems also cut back deliberately: sustained parking manoeuvres can heat the motor enough to trigger a temporary reduction, and low battery voltage will do the same. On older hydraulic systems the same lamp usually means low fluid, a failed pump or a snapped drive belt.

What to do about it

Pull over somewhere safe and restart the engine. A surprising proportion of these are transient — a voltage dip or a thermal cut-back — and clear on an ignition cycle. If it clears and stays clear, it still wants investigating, but you are not stranded.
Expect heavy steering and give yourself room. Manoeuvring, roundabouts and junctions all take far more effort without assistance, and it arrives without warning if the system drops out while you are moving.
Check the battery and charging system before assuming the steering is at fault. Electric power steering draws a lot of current and is often the first thing to complain about a tired battery or a failing alternator, and people replace steering columns over what turns out to be a battery.
If the car has hydraulic power steering, check the fluid level and look underneath for a leak and at the belt. Low fluid, a perished hose or a slipping belt are the common causes and none is a big job.
Have the codes read. This is a system where the code is genuinely decisive: a torque sensor fault, a lost communication code and a motor fault point at three very different repairs.
Get it fixed before the MOT. An illuminated electronic power steering warning lamp is a straight major defect, so the test ends in a failure certificate regardless of anything else.

Can you keep driving?

Briefly, gently

The car still steers, and at road speed you may barely notice the difference, because most of the assistance is doing its work at low speed. Parking and slow manoeuvring become genuinely hard work, and a heavy wheel makes an emergency avoidance much slower. Drive it to a garage rather than carrying on as normal, and be especially careful pulling out of junctions where you need a lot of lock quickly.

What causes it

A failed torque sensor in the steering column, which is the most common single cause on electric systems
Low battery voltage or a failing alternator, which many systems interpret as an unsafe condition
A loss of communication between the steering module and the rest of the car, often a corroded connector or a chafed loom
A worn or failed electric assistance motor, usually with a whine or notchy feel before it goes
A control module fault, sometimes recoverable by recoding rather than replacement
On hydraulic systems, low fluid from a leaking hose, rack seal or pump
On hydraulic systems, a slipping, glazed or snapped auxiliary drive belt
Water ingress into a column-mounted module, which is a known weakness on a number of models

Does it fail an MOT?

Yes. A tester records it as a major defect, under the wording EPS MIL indicating a system malfunction in the MOT inspection manual (section 2.6).

Vehicles with electronic power steering, which for this purpose means any steering system using an electric motor to assist or control the steering. Where electronic power steering was an optional fitment and has been disconnected, the tester only fails the car if the steering is adversely affected.

It is not a technicality either. Across the DVSA test data behind this site, 205 MOTs were failed on it, spread across 5 different models.

Models where it happens most

Share of all tests on that model where this defect was recorded, among models with at least 20,000 tests. Compared against 0.24% across every model that records it.

Skoda Yeti0.26%
193 of 74,815 tests

A high rate is not proof a model is badly built. Fleet age, annual mileage and how a model is used all move these figures, and vans and commercial derivatives sit near the top of most emissions defects for that reason rather than through poor engineering.

Fault codes that turn this light on

The lamp tells you which system reported a problem. The code stored behind it names the check that failed, which is the difference between knowing something is wrong and knowing where to look. These are the ones that commonly sit behind this symbol.

U0131 No communication with the power steering module
C0720 Electric power steering torque sensor fault
C0735 The power steering computer has failed inside itself
C0725Electric Power Steering Motor Circuit
C0051 Steering position sensor reading is not trusted

Got a different code? Look it up — the index covers every standard OBD-II code.

Common questions

Will the power steering light fail an MOT?: Yes. Under section 2.6 of the MOT inspection manual, an electronic power steering malfunction indicator lamp indicating a system malfunction is a major defect, which means an automatic failure. Electronic power assistance that is not working at all is a separate major defect in the same section. The interesting thing about this one is how rarely it is recorded: just 205 failures across the DVSA data behind this site, against hundreds of thousands for the engine lamp. That is not because power steering is reliable — it is because heavy steering is impossible to live with, so almost everybody has it fixed long before the car reaches a test bay.
Is it safe to drive with the power steering light on?: It is usually manageable but it is not something to leave. You have not lost steering: every car sold in the UK keeps a mechanical connection between the wheel and the road wheels, so the car still goes where you point it. What you lose is the assistance, and that is weighted towards low speeds, so parking and tight junctions become very hard work while motorway driving may feel almost normal. The real risk is an emergency manoeuvre taking longer than you expect, and assistance dropping out mid-corner without warning. Drive it to a garage rather than carrying on.
Why does my power steering light come on and then go off again?: Intermittent faults are the norm on these systems, and there are three usual explanations. Low battery voltage is the most common and the most overlooked: electric power steering is one of the biggest electrical loads on the car, and a tired battery or a weak alternator makes the module shut down protectively. Thermal cut-back is the second — a long session of parking manoeuvres can heat the motor enough that the system reduces assistance until it cools. The third is a poor connection or a chafed wire that only breaks contact over bumps. A code read will separate them, because the stored code survives even after the lamp goes out.
What is the difference between EPS and hydraulic power steering?: Hydraulic systems, which is what nearly everything had until the mid-2000s, use an engine-driven pump pushing fluid through a rack. They fail through leaks, low fluid, worn pumps and slipping belts, and they rarely have a warning lamp at all — the first sign is usually a groan on full lock. Electric systems use a motor on the column or the rack, take their instructions from a torque sensor, and have no fluid to leak. They are quieter and more efficient, but they are electronic, which is why they have a malfunction lamp and why that lamp is a specific MOT defect. If your car has a reservoir under the bonnet with steering fluid in it, it is hydraulic; if there is nothing to check, it is electric.

This is general guidance, not a diagnosis. Manufacturers draw the same system differently and reuse symbols for more than one function, so check the handbook for your own car before acting on anything here.

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