Watford MOT pass rate
Cars tested in Watford, age-adjusted,'s pass rate of 78.6% is in line with the national average, at 79.2%.
79.9%
Raw pass rate
78.6%
Age-adjusted pass rate
-0.7 pts
vs national average
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“Cars tested in Watford, age-adjusted,'s pass rate of 78.6% is in line with the national average, at 79.2%.”
79.9% of 191,452 MOT tests carried out in Watford pass — the age-adjusted figure is 78.6%.
Pass rate by vehicle age in Watford
| Vehicle age | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| 0–3 years | 90.5% | 13,349 |
| 3–6 years | 88.9% | 48,086 |
| 6–10 years | 82.7% | 57,768 |
| 10–15 years | 72.4% | 39,930 |
| 15+ years | 66.2% | 32,319 |
Most common MOT failure reasons in Watford
| Category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 54.5% |
| Suspension | 29.2% |
| Tyres | 28.4% |
| Brakes | 25.5% |
| 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 Watford (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 Watford?
- 79.9% of MOT tests carried out in Watford pass, based on 191,452 tests. Adjusted for the age of cars tested there, the figure is 78.6%.
- Does this show cars registered in Watford, 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 Watford — which may include vehicles from further afield — not necessarily cars kept locally.
- What's the most common MOT failure reason in Watford?
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the most common failure category among tests carried out in Watford, present in 54.5% of failed tests there.