Exeter MOT pass rate
Cars tested in Exeter, age-adjusted, passes 73.8% of the time, noticeably below the figure for the national average (79.2%).
71.0%
Raw pass rate
73.8%
Age-adjusted pass rate
-5.5 pts
vs national average
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“Cars tested in Exeter, age-adjusted, passes 73.8% of the time, noticeably below the figure for the national average (79.2%).”
71.0% of 579,028 MOT tests carried out in Exeter pass — the age-adjusted figure is 73.8%.
Pass rate by vehicle age in Exeter
| Vehicle age | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| 0–3 years | 91.7% | 23,354 |
| 3–6 years | 88.7% | 92,628 |
| 6–10 years | 80.0% | 150,610 |
| 10–15 years | 65.3% | 155,834 |
| 15+ years | 54.4% | 156,602 |
Most common MOT failure reasons in Exeter
| Category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 54.3% |
| Suspension | 47.1% |
| Brakes | 32.9% |
| Tyres | 23.0% |
| Visibility | 17.7% |
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 Exeter (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 Exeter?
- 71.0% of MOT tests carried out in Exeter pass, based on 579,028 tests. Adjusted for the age of cars tested there, the figure is 73.8%.
- Does this show cars registered in Exeter, 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 Exeter — which may include vehicles from further afield — not necessarily cars kept locally.
- What's the most common MOT failure reason in Exeter?
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the most common failure category among tests carried out in Exeter, present in 54.3% of failed tests there.