Motorists are failing MOTs for a wide range of obscure reasons, according to research from the online marketplace eBay.
While suspension faults topped the list for overall failures – with broken springs accounting for more than 821,991 unsuccessful MOTs – 394 vehicles failed for ‘missing’ suspension springs, 20 vehicles failed for having a ‘missing suspension arm’, and 14 for ‘missing’ entire MacPherson struts.
Analysis of the data revealed that 61 motorists were driving vehicles with two different headlights, while 3,485 vehicles failed for lacking a wiper blade.
Abir Tewari, UK director of commercial operations, parts and accessories at eBay, said: “Too many motorists are failing MOTs for avoidable reasons – from worn tyres to something as basic as a missing wiper blade.
“These are quick and inexpensive to fix, and with eBay’s My Garage, drivers can be confident they’ll get the right part the first time.”
eBay analysed data obtained from a Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). It investigated MOT failures between 1 June 2024 and 30 June 2025.
Tyres below the 1.6mm legal limit were the single most common cause of failure, affecting more than 1.08 million vehicles.
Fractured suspension springs (821,911) and brake pads worn below 1.5mm (768,436) were the second most frequent issues.
In the tyre category, which was the fourth highest overall for failures, eight vehicles failed due to inadequate tyre speed ratings, and a further 414 cars failed for being fitted with different-sized tyres across the same axle.
Other safety issues included 265 failures for brake performance, specifically when vehicles swerved to the nearside during testing, and 516 failures due to cut or reworked seatbelt webbing.
