MOT guide
What MOT failures mean
What dangerous, major and minor MOT defects mean, what happens when a car fails, and how retests work.
A vehicle fails its MOT if the tester records any major or dangerous defects.
- Dangerous: a direct and immediate risk to road safety or a serious impact on the environment. The vehicle must not be driven until repaired.
- Major: may affect safety, put other road users at risk or impact the environment. It must be repaired immediately.
- Minor: no significant effect on safety or the environment. The vehicle passes, but the defect should be repaired as soon as possible.
PRS: repaired during the test
PRS (pass after rectification at station) means a defect was found and fixed at the test centre during the test, so the vehicle passed.
Older MOT records
Tests before 20 May 2018 did not use the dangerous, major and minor categories; defects were recorded as failure items or advisories.
Retests
If the vehicle is repaired and retested within 10 working days, a free or reduced-fee partial retest may be available. Check with the test centre.
Source: GOV.UK, Getting an MOT.
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