At a Glance
UK cars have seen 2.0M fuel system problems recorded across 20 years of DVSA MOT data. Microcars over-index on this category by +97% vs the UK average. The category's per-test fail rate has dropped since 2006 — 0.9% → 0.2% (-81% change).
Trend rates normalise failures by UK MOT test volume each year, so a growing number of cars on UK roads doesn't distort the signal. Read our DVSA data analysis methodology →
About Fuel System Problems on UK Cars
The fuel system category covers a major portion of UK MOT failures across cars, vans, and pickups. UK testers have recorded 2.0M fuel system problems across 20 years of DVSA data — patterns useful for buyers checking a used car, owners scheduling preventive repairs, and journalists writing about UK road safety.
Below: which UK car makes most commonly fail MOTs in this category, the specific fuel system problems testers record most often, body-type comparisons, and 20 years of trend data — all drawn from DVSA records, no editorial picks.
UK Car Makes Most Affected by Fuel System
Top 15 UK car makes ranked by fuel system problems recorded in DVSA MOT data
Switch between raw Problem count (Ford, Vauxhall lead because they're bigger fleets), Per-test rate (fuel system problems divided by this make's total MOT tests — normalises for fleet size), and MOT tests (fleet size for context). Hover any bar for all three values plus share of UK fuel system problems.
Most Common Fuel System Problems
The 4 most frequently recorded fuel system problems across all UK makes and models
1.Fuel cap damaged or missing
639K (51.8%)2.Fuel pipe corroded or damaged
261K (21.1%)3.Fuel tank corroded or leaking
220K (17.8%)4.Fuel hose damaged or leaking
114K (9.2%)Fuel System Trend — 20 Years of UK MOT Data
Per-year fuel system failure rate vs the UK all-category average
Each line is the per-year failure rate as a percentage of UK MOT tests. Fuel System rate has dropped from 0.9% (2006) to 0.2% (2018) — a -81% change. Use the filter pills to toggle either line.
Showing all categories. Click a pill to hide; double-click to isolate.
Which Body Type Fails Most on Fuel System?
Per-body-type fuel system problem rate deviation from UK average
A body type that bulges right over-indexes on fuel system per MOT test — structurally more fuel system failures than the UK baseline, not just more problems because it's popular.
Note on body-type classification: each model is assigned a single primary body style. Multi-body models (e.g. Volvo 240, BMW 3-Series, Audi A4, Ford Mondeo) appear under their dominant body — usually saloon — even when they had significant estate or hatchback variants. So the “saloon” bar above includes some genuine estate volume. We're working on per-generation body-type data to fix this.
Tell Us About a Fuel System Problem
Had a fuel system problem with your car? Report it and we'll add it to the database.
Tell Us About a Fuel System Problem
Had a fuel system problem with your car? Report it and we'll add it to the database.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are the most common fuel system problems on UK cars?
Based on DVSA MOT test records, the top fuel system problems are fuel cap damaged or missing, fuel pipe corroded or damaged, fuel tank corroded or leaking. These three account for 91% of all fuel system failures recorded.
Which UK make has the most fuel system problems?
By absolute volume, Ford has the most fuel system problems recorded (379,103 occurrences, 18.7% of all UK fuel system problems) — which partly reflects how many Ford vehicles are on UK roads, not just reliability. See the Most Affected Makes list above for the full ranking.
Which body type fails most on fuel system?
Microcars over-index on fuel system failures by 97% vs the UK average, while Sportss are 41% below average. See the body-type deviation chart above.
Is fuel system getting better or worse over time?
Fuel System failures have improved over the 20-year window — 2006: 0.9% of UK MOT tests → 2018: 0.2% (-81% change). Compare against the UK all-categories line on the chart for context.
How is this data calculated?
DVSA publishes anonymised MOT test records under the Open Government Licence v3. We classify every Reason-for-Rejection (RfR) item into one of 11 DVSA-tested categories, aggregate counts across 20 years of data, and normalise per-year rates by UK MOT test volume so growth in the number of cars on UK roads doesn't distort the trend. Read the full methodology for details.
