Cardiff MOT pass rate
At 74.4%, Cars tested in Cardiff, age-adjusted, passes slightly less often than the national average (79.2%).
74.5%
Raw pass rate
74.4%
Age-adjusted pass rate
-4.8 pts
vs national average
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“At 74.4%, Cars tested in Cardiff, age-adjusted, passes slightly less often than the national average (79.2%).”
74.5% of 982,570 MOT tests carried out in Cardiff pass — the age-adjusted figure is 74.4%.
Pass rate by vehicle age in Cardiff
| Vehicle age | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| 0–3 years | 92.5% | 45,245 |
| 3–6 years | 88.5% | 186,528 |
| 6–10 years | 78.9% | 318,278 |
| 10–15 years | 66.3% | 272,851 |
| 15+ years | 58.2% | 159,668 |
Most common MOT failure reasons in Cardiff
| Category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 43.2% |
| Suspension | 34.5% |
| Brakes | 31.1% |
| Tyres | 22.7% |
| Visibility | 14.2% |
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 Cardiff (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 Cardiff?
- 74.5% of MOT tests carried out in Cardiff pass, based on 982,570 tests. Adjusted for the age of cars tested there, the figure is 74.4%.
- Does this show cars registered in Cardiff, 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 Cardiff — which may include vehicles from further afield — not necessarily cars kept locally.
- What's the most common MOT failure reason in Cardiff?
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the most common failure category among tests carried out in Cardiff, present in 43.2% of failed tests there.