Portsmouth MOT pass rate
At 76.0%, Cars tested in Portsmouth, age-adjusted, passes slightly less often than the national average (79.2%).
74.2%
Raw pass rate
76.0%
Age-adjusted pass rate
-3.2 pts
vs national average
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“At 76.0%, Cars tested in Portsmouth, age-adjusted, passes slightly less often than the national average (79.2%).”
74.2% of 718,147 MOT tests carried out in Portsmouth pass — the age-adjusted figure is 76.0%.
Pass rate by vehicle age in Portsmouth
| Vehicle age | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| 0–3 years | 90.4% | 29,366 |
| 3–6 years | 88.4% | 118,430 |
| 6–10 years | 80.8% | 194,243 |
| 10–15 years | 69.0% | 198,125 |
| 15+ years | 60.7% | 177,983 |
Most common MOT failure reasons in Portsmouth
| Category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 56.0% |
| Suspension | 34.9% |
| Tyres | 28.5% |
| Brakes | 27.4% |
| Visibility | 16.8% |
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 Portsmouth (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 Portsmouth?
- 74.2% of MOT tests carried out in Portsmouth pass, based on 718,147 tests. Adjusted for the age of cars tested there, the figure is 76.0%.
- Does this show cars registered in Portsmouth, 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 Portsmouth — which may include vehicles from further afield — not necessarily cars kept locally.
- What's the most common MOT failure reason in Portsmouth?
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the most common failure category among tests carried out in Portsmouth, present in 56.0% of failed tests there.