About motdata.uk

motdata.uk is an independent data site that analyses official UK MOT test results. We take the anonymised bulk data published by the DVSA — 58 million tests from 2024 — and break it down by make, model, year, fuel type, and failure category to give drivers useful, specific information about their vehicle.

What we do

We calculate MOT pass rates, identify common failure patterns, track mileage trends, and combine MOT data with DfT vehicle licensing statistics to show how many of each model are still on UK roads. The result is detailed pages for over 5,100 vehicles — cars, vans, and motorcycles.

We also classify MOT failures by severity. Not all failures are equal: a dead bulb fails your MOT but you drive home. A fractured spring could strand you. Our risk breakdown helps owners and buyers understand what the data actually means for them.

Why we built it

The raw DVSA data is publicly available, but it's 3.5 gigabytes of pipe-delimited CSV files. Nobody's sitting down with that on a Saturday afternoon. We wanted to make it accessible — searchable, readable, and genuinely useful for someone buying a used car, preparing for an MOT, or just curious about their vehicle.

Our data sources

• DVSA anonymised MOT test data — 58 million test results from the 2024 test year, including pass/fail outcomes, failure reasons, and mileage readings. Published under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
• DfT vehicle licensing statistics — quarterly counts of licensed and SORN vehicles by make, model, and fuel type (VEH0120), plus new registrations (VEH0160). Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.

Independence

motdata.uk is not affiliated with the DVSA, DVLA, or any vehicle manufacturer. We use manufacturer names under nominative fair use to identify vehicles in the government data. Our analysis and editorial content is our own.

Some pages contain links to third-party services (insurance, breakdown cover, tyres, garages). Where we earn a commission from these links, it's disclosed on the page and explained in full on our affiliate disclosure page. Affiliate relationships never influence our data, rankings, or analysis.

Methodology

For details on how we process the data, our minimum sample sizes, and what the numbers mean, see our methodology page.

Contact

Questions, corrections, or feedback: hello@motdata.uk