Drivers are wasting millions of pounds on “easily avoidable” MOT failures, with figures showing a worrying rise of 133,000 over the past four years.
New data reveals that motorists may be less prepared when taking their vehicles for testing compared to previous years.
The findings come as March, the peak month for MOT tests, approaches, with experts urging drivers to perform simple checks before their MOT to avoid unnecessary costs and the inconvenience of retests.
The rise represents a significant increase in preventable failures that could be costing drivers dearly.
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Thousands of motorists around the UK are wasting money by not checking their car before an MOT test
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In the last financial year, there were 2.59 million failures caused by defects drivers could have checked and fixed beforehand.
This compares to around 2.4 million similar failures in the 2019/20 financial year, showing a gradual increase.
The data also found that one in 10 motorists miss the window for a free retest when their car fails. Based on the maximum MOT cost of £54.85, the annual amount lost to avoidable retests might have increased by £770,000 over four years.
The breakdown of failure causes reveals lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment issues led to approximately 1.4 million failures.
Problems with tyres resulted in roughly 710,000 failures, while 461,000 failures fell under the visibility category, including windscreen and wiper issues.
Suspension issues contributed to just under a fifth of failures, while brake problems were a factor in 16 per cent of cases.
Eric Smith, MOT scheme manager at Kwik Fit, warns that seemingly minor issues can cause unexpected failures.
He said: “Car parking stickers from music festivals can lead to a spike in failures, and messy vehicles can lead to a failure in case a piece of rubbish rolls under the pedals.
“While the MOT is a vital annual safety check, drivers shouldn’t leave it up to the MOT tester to make sure their car is roadworthy.”
The consequences of failing an MOT can be severe for motorists, as the car is not road legal and the insurance would be invalid.
If your vehicle fails its test, it won’t be road legal, meaning your insurance will become invalid.
Tom Banks, car insurance expert at Go.Compare, said: “Taking your car to get its MOT done can be a nerve-wracking experience, so it’s important that you prepare for it properly to avoid incurring any needless extra costs.”
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Lighting and electrical faults were the most common issues found during MOT tests
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He advises that drivers check all bulbs are working properly and, if they have to, replace any faulty ones.
Drivers should also measure tyre pressure, check that the tread depth meets minimum requirements and inspect the windscreen for damage.
Banks added: “Remove any parking stickers, like those from festivals, from the windscreen too.”
