The cars most and least likely to pass their first MOT

The new cars most and least likely to make it through their first MOT have been revealed by new analysis of DVSA data.

All cars are required to undergo an MOT test for the first time three years after registration and then once a year after that.

The analysis of test pass and fail rates by KnowYourCar looked at results for vehicles registeredin2016andfirsttested in 2019 to see which recent modelsperformbestandworst and uncover the most common reasons for failure.

Top of the table was the Porsche Boxster, with 97.36 per cent of 2016 models passing their first MOT without issue.

Premium SUV the Lexus RX was second on the list, with a96.82percentpassrate,ahead of the BMW i3 (96.78 per cent) and Bentley Continental (96.77 per cent).

Fifthoverallandfirstamong what the research classed as “popular” models - cars where 5,000 or more examples were presented for a test - was the

Honda Jazz. The hatchback upheld the brand’s famous reputation for reliability with a 96.5 per cent pass rate. Other popularmodelstoperformwell were the Mini One hatchback (94.9 per cent), the Skoda Octavia (94.8 per cent) and the Mini Countryman (94.7 per cent).

At the other end of the list, the SsangYong Rodius (now called the Tourismo) was the car most likely to fail its first MOT. After just three years, onlythree-quarters(76.9percent) of the people carriers passed the test, with windscreen wiper effectiveness and headlamp aim chief among their problems.

Headlamp alignment was the biggest issue for most models once non-specific issues such as tyres were removed from calculations. The secondworst performing car was the last-generation Peugeot 5008 MPV (not to be confused with the new SUV) with only 77 per centofcarspassingthetestfirst time. The diesel Dacia Sandero (79 per cent) and Fiat 500L (80.1 per cent) were also high on the list of failures, ahead of the Isuzu D-Max.

The Japanese pick-up was the worst performing of the “popular” models, with an 81.5 per cent pass rate, just ahead of the petrol Dacia Sandero (81.7 per cent), the UK’s best-selling car the Ford Fiesta (81.7 cent) and its rival the Vauxhall Corsa (83 per cent).

In each case, headlamp alignment or ineffective windscreen wipers were the most common causes of failure.