Birmingham MOT pass rate
Cars tested in Birmingham, age-adjusted, passes its MOT 84.4% of the time — well above the national average, which sits at 79.2%.
84.2%
Raw pass rate
84.4%
Age-adjusted pass rate
+5.2 pts
vs national average
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“Cars tested in Birmingham, age-adjusted, passes its MOT 84.4% of the time — well above the national average, which sits at 79.2%.”
84.2% of 1,551,608 MOT tests carried out in Birmingham pass — the age-adjusted figure is 84.4%.
Pass rate by vehicle age in Birmingham
| Vehicle age | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| 0–3 years | 92.2% | 64,953 |
| 3–6 years | 90.7% | 289,177 |
| 6–10 years | 86.4% | 472,847 |
| 10–15 years | 80.7% | 427,379 |
| 15+ years | 77.5% | 297,252 |
Most common MOT failure reasons in Birmingham
| Category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 52.1% |
| Suspension | 32.7% |
| Brakes | 26.0% |
| Tyres | 22.7% |
| Visibility | 18.3% |
Methodology and data source
- Source: DVSA “Anonymised MOT tests and results”, data.gov.uk, under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Coverage: Full year 2024, test class 4 (cars), normal (initial) tests only.
- This covers cars tested in Birmingham (DVSA's postcode_area field is the testing station's location, not the vehicle owner's home address).
- The age-adjusted figure is standardised to the national vehicle-age mix, so it isn't just reflecting whether this area's tested fleet happens to run older or newer than average.
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Frequently asked questions
- What is the MOT pass rate in Birmingham?
- 84.2% of MOT tests carried out in Birmingham pass, based on 1,551,608 tests. Adjusted for the age of cars tested there, the figure is 84.4%.
- Does this show cars registered in Birmingham, or tested there?
- Tested there. DVSA's data records the postcode of the testing station, not the vehicle owner's home address, so this reflects cars tested in Birmingham — which may include vehicles from further afield — not necessarily cars kept locally.
- What's the most common MOT failure reason in Birmingham?
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the most common failure category among tests carried out in Birmingham, present in 52.1% of failed tests there.