MOT advisories: what they mean

An advisory is an item the MOT tester has noted as showing wear or minor damage, but not bad enough to be a failure. Your car still passes, but the item may need attention before the next test.

Advisory vs failure vs dangerous

Advisory

Item is worn or deteriorating but still within limits. Car passes. Monitor it — it will likely become a failure if left.

Minor defect

Below standard but not a safety risk. Car passes but it's recorded. Introduced in 2018.

Major failure

Significant defect affecting safety, the environment, or the vehicle's roadworthiness. Car fails.

Dangerous defect

Immediate risk to road safety. Car fails and should not be driven until fixed.

Should you fix advisories?

Advisories aren't legally required to be fixed. But they're a preview of next year's failures. In 2024, there were 72,003,029 advisory items recorded vs 27,338,585 failure items. Many of this year's advisories will become next year's failures if not addressed.

If you're buying a used car, check the advisories in its MOT history. A car with accumulating advisories over multiple years suggests an owner who's not maintaining it.

Most common MOT advisories

From 72,003,029 advisory items recorded in 2024.

#	Advisory item	Count	% of all
1	tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements	13,397,395	18.6%
2	a tyre seriously damaged	7,553,378	10.5%
3	a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn	7,047,168	9.8%
4	brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured	6,277,880	8.7%
5	a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm	4,486,109	6.2%
6	brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded	3,495,048	4.9%
7	fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users	3,145,109	4.4%
8	a suspension component excessively damaged or corroded	2,852,832	4.0%
9	a spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened	2,558,085	3.6%
10	a shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage	2,026,977	2.8%
11	brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn	1,613,285	2.2%
12	exhaust system leaking or insecure	1,535,123	2.1%
13	number plate inscription missing or illegible	1,378,217	1.9%
14	child seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt	1,070,847	1.5%
15	significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake	1,024,388	1.4%
16	nail in tyre	924,158	1.3%
17	play in steering rack inner joint(s)	897,495	1.2%
18	the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired	881,018	1.2%
19	vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced	724,372	1.0%
20	a brake hose ferrule excessively corroded	718,958	1.0%
21	lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements	713,672	1.0%
22	a steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play	670,664	0.9%
23	a wheel badly distorted or wear between wheel and hub at spigot mounting	590,795	0.8%
24	product on the lens or light source which obviously reduces light intensity or changes emitted colour to other than white or yellow	560,701	0.8%
25	excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution.	463,748	0.6%
26	a wheel bearing with excessive play	405,684	0.6%
27	a stub axle swivel pin and/or bush excessively worn	340,288	0.5%
28	a flexible brake hose excessively damaged, deteriorated, chafed, twisted or stretched	330,502	0.5%
29	items removed from drivers view prior to test	322,197	0.4%
30	a shock absorber bush excessively worn	263,135	0.4%
31	a seat belt webbing or flexible stalk significantly stretched or weakened	218,326	0.3%
32	a wheel bearing excessively rough	198,370	0.3%
33	stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning	198,122	0.3%
34	a shock absorber which has negligible damping effect	188,261	0.3%
35	brakes imbalance across an axle such that the braking effort from any wheel is less than 70% of the maximum effort recorded from the other wheel on the same axle.	172,035	0.2%
36	body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point	165,445	0.2%
37	power steering fluid leaking or system malfunctioning	142,346	0.2%
38	parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement	128,695	0.2%
39	coolant leak	128,316	0.2%
40	exhaust noise levels in excess of those permitted	121,550	0.2%
41	fuel pipe/s corroded	114,814	0.2%
42	brake pedal anti-slip provision missing, loose or worn smooth	108,796	0.2%
43	free play in the steering, measured at the rim of the steering wheel is excessive	107,569	0.1%
44	vehicles internal headlight adjuster altered to recheck lights	90,692	0.1%
45	the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any seat belt anchorage (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired	80,365	0.1%
46	a seat belt or flexible stalk damaged	68,950	0.1%
47	seat belt buckle missing, damaged or not functioning as intended	66,215	0.1%
48	any part of the noise suppression system insecure	65,399	0.1%
49	a brake on any wheel grabbing severely	62,481	0.1%
50	power steering pipe, hose or wiring excessively damaged or corroded	58,064	0.1%
51	a transmission belt, chain, sprocket or pulley excessively loose or worn	48,572	0.1%
52	a main load-bearing structural member fractured or deformed such that structural rigidity is significantly reduced	47,391	0.1%
53	brake lining or pad worn below 1.0mm	47,036	0.1%
54	cable damaged or knotted	45,691	0.1%
55	passenger seat(s) missing at time of test	44,382	0.1%
56	a shock absorber not functioning or leaking severely	43,949	0.1%
57	a transmission joint, belt or chain excessively worn	43,934	0.1%
58	gearbox mounting defective	43,611	0.1%
59	excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution	40,757	0.1%
60	number plate missing or so insecure that it is likely to fall off	40,610	0.1%
61	an obstruction significantly affecting the driver's view of the road through the swept area of the windscreen or an obligatory external mirror not visible	40,257	0.1%
62	non obligatory mirror damaged	39,882	0.1%
63	spare tyre defective	37,537	0.1%
64	brake fluid significantly below minimum mark	37,230	0.1%
65	a tyre valve seriously damaged or misaligned likely to cause sudden deflation of the tyre	36,304	0.1%
66	a transmission shaft flexible coupling excessively deteriorated	35,776	0.0%
67	an engine mounting/bracket severely damaged or deteriorated resulting in excessive movement	34,648	0.0%
68	exhaust emits excessive smoke or vapour of any colour to an extent likely to obscure the vision of other road users.	33,571	0.0%
69	a position lamp adversely affected by the operation of any other lamp	33,065	0.0%
70	parking brake control missing, defective or inoperative	30,237	0.0%
71	emits excessive dense blue or clearly visible black smoke during acceleration which would obscure the view of other road users	26,605	0.0%
72	a transmission shaft bearing excessively worn	26,516	0.0%
73	an srs malfunction indicator lamp (mil) indicates a system malfunction	24,352	0.0%
74	brake fluid below minimum mark	22,385	0.0%
75	a main load-bearing structural member modified or inadequately repaired such that structural rigidity is significantly reduced	22,321	0.0%
76	unknown	21,738	0.0%
77	a door hinge, catch or pillar excessively deteriorated	21,717	0.0%
78	bumper insecure or with damage likely to cause injury when grazed or contacted	21,258	0.0%
79	excessive wear or play in a universal joint or a flexible coupling excessively deteriorated	21,250	0.0%
80	a body panel or body component damaged or corroded and likely to cause injury when grazed or contacted, or insecure	20,108	0.0%
81	steering head bearings excessively stiff, notchy, or with excessive wear or play	19,616	0.0%
82	brake control so positioned, bent or shortened that the brake cannot be readily applied.	17,181	0.0%
83	a lamp with a product on the lens or light source which shows red light to the front, white light to the rear or has heavily reduced light intensity	15,640	0.0%
84	excessive radial movement between the top of the steering column and the shaft indicating an excessively worn top bearing	15,604	0.0%
85	towball/hitch not fitted at time of test	12,601	0.0%
86	a towbar component damaged, corroded, defective or fractured	12,029	0.0%
87	excessive roughness in operation of steering	11,752	0.0%
88	the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any towbar mounting bracket is significantly reduced	11,204	0.0%
89	steering head bearings have excessive wear or play	10,312	0.0%
90	a suspension component with an unsafe modification	9,151	0.0%
91	wheel/tyre protruding beyond wheel arch	8,888	0.0%
92	a bonnet primary retaining device excessively deteriorated, ineffective or insecure	8,829	0.0%
93	brake pipe inadequately clipped or supported	8,816	0.0%
94	steering box leaking oil	8,518	0.0%
95	service brake efficiency below minimum requirement	8,454	0.0%
96	the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any braking system actuation component mounting (a prescribed area) is significantly reduced	8,188	0.0%
97	parking brake lever pivot or ratchet mechanism obviously worn	7,662	0.0%
98	power steering fluid level below minimum mark	7,542	0.0%
99	a wheel excessively corroded, damaged or distorted	7,531	0.0%
100	a direction indicator adversely affected by the operation of another lamp	6,782	0.0%

Tyres are the #1 advisory — 13,397,395 times in 2024. This is also a top failure reason, meaning many cars are borderline on tyre condition. Checking tyre tread depth before your MOT (minimum 1.6mm, though 3mm is recommended) is the easiest way to avoid both advisories and failures.