At a Glance
UK cars have seen 5.2M transmission problems recorded across 20 years of DVSA MOT data. Pickups over-index on this category by +167% vs the UK average. The category's per-test fail rate has stayed roughly flat since 2016 — 0.0% → 1.5% (+0% 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 Transmission Problems on UK Cars
The transmission category covers a major portion of UK MOT failures across cars, vans, and pickups. UK testers have recorded 5.2M transmission 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 transmission 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 Transmission
Top 15 UK car makes ranked by transmission problems recorded in DVSA MOT data
Switch between raw Problem count (Ford, Vauxhall lead because they're bigger fleets), Per-test rate (transmission 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 transmission problems.
Most Common Transmission Problems
The 5 most frequently recorded transmission problems across all UK makes and models
1.Driveshaft fault
5.0M (90.8%)2.Propshaft fault
475K (8.6%)3.Transmission drive belt fault
31K (0.56%)4.Halfshaft fault
858 (0.02%)5.Chain drive fault
296 (0.01%)Transmission Trend — 20 Years of UK MOT Data
Per-year transmission failure rate vs the UK all-category average
Each line is the per-year failure rate as a percentage of UK MOT tests. Transmission rate has stayed flat from 0.0% (2016) to 1.5% (2024). 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 Transmission?
Per-body-type transmission problem rate deviation from UK average
A body type that bulges right over-indexes on transmission per MOT test — structurally more transmission 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 Transmission Problem
Had a transmission problem with your car? Report it and we'll add it to the database.
Tell Us About a Transmission Problem
Had a transmission 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 transmission problems on UK cars?
Based on DVSA MOT test records, the top transmission problems are driveshaft fault, propshaft fault, transmission drive belt fault. These three account for 100% of all transmission failures recorded.
Which UK make has the most transmission problems?
By absolute volume, Ford has the most transmission problems recorded (803,812 occurrences, 14.1% of all UK transmission 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 transmission?
Pickups over-index on transmission failures by 167% vs the UK average, while Sportss are 77% below average. See the body-type deviation chart above.
Is transmission getting better or worse over time?
Transmission failures are roughly flat over the 20-year window — 2016: 0.0% of UK MOT tests → 2024: 1.5% (+0% 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.
