At a Glance
UK cars have seen 50K other problems recorded across 20 years of DVSA MOT data. Vans over-index on this category by +102% vs the UK average. The category's per-test fail rate has dropped since 2006 — 2.3% → 0.4% (-84% 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 Other Problems on UK Cars
The other category covers a major portion of UK MOT failures across cars, vans, and pickups. UK testers have recorded 50K other 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 other 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 Other
Top 15 UK car makes ranked by other problems recorded in DVSA MOT data
Switch between raw Problem count (Ford, Vauxhall lead because they're bigger fleets), Per-test rate (other 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 other problems.
Most Common Other Problems
The 6 most frequently recorded other problems across all UK makes and models
1.Towbar fault
82K (94.3%)2.Detachable tow ball fault
2K (1.9%)3.Adjustable towbar fault
1K (1.2%)4.Swivelling towbar fault
952 (1.1%)5.Speed limiter plate fault
740 (0.86%)6.Speed limiter fault
510 (0.59%)Other Trend — 20 Years of UK MOT Data
Per-year other failure rate vs the UK all-category average
Each line is the per-year failure rate as a percentage of UK MOT tests. Other rate has dropped from 2.3% (2006) to 0.4% (2024) — a -84% 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 Other?
Per-body-type other problem rate deviation from UK average
A body type that bulges right over-indexes on other per MOT test — structurally more other 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.
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Tell Us About a Other Problem
Had a other 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 other problems on UK cars?
Based on DVSA MOT test records, the top other problems are towbar fault, detachable tow ball fault, adjustable towbar fault. These three account for 97% of all other failures recorded.
Which UK make has the most other problems?
By absolute volume, Vauxhall has the most other problems recorded (1,254,817 occurrences, 16.3% of all UK other problems) — which partly reflects how many Vauxhall 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 other?
Vans over-index on other failures by 102% vs the UK average, while Microcars are 47% below average. See the body-type deviation chart above.
Is other getting better or worse over time?
Other failures have improved over the 20-year window — 2006: 2.3% of UK MOT tests → 2024: 0.4% (-84% 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.
