At a Glance
UK cars have seen 62.7M tyres & wheels problems recorded across 20 years of DVSA MOT data. Estates over-index on this category by +11% vs the UK average. The category's per-test fail rate has dropped since 2006 — 12.2% → 7.4% (-39% 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 Tyres & Wheels Problems on UK Cars
The tyres & wheels category covers a major portion of UK MOT failures across cars, vans, and pickups. UK testers have recorded 62.7M tyres & wheels 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 tyres & wheels 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 Tyres & Wheels
Top 15 UK car makes ranked by tyres & wheels problems recorded in DVSA MOT data
Switch between raw Problem count (Ford, Vauxhall lead because they're bigger fleets), Per-test rate (tyres & wheels 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 tyres & wheels problems.
Most Common Tyres & Wheels Problems
The 9 most frequently recorded tyres & wheels problems across all UK makes and models
1.Tyre tread below 1.6mm limit
91.5M (42.8%)2.Tyre tread depth below limit
63.9M (29.9%)3.Tyre condition
55.4M (25.9%)4.Tyre size or type not matched
1.2M (0.58%)5.Tyre valve stem damaged
900K (0.42%)6.Tyre pressure monitoring system fault
797K (0.37%)7.Tyre tread pattern not visible
160K (0.07%)8.Wheel hub fault
7K (0.00%)9.Halfshaft fault
2K (0.00%)Tyres & Wheels Trend — 20 Years of UK MOT Data
Per-year tyres & wheels failure rate vs the UK all-category average
Each line is the per-year failure rate as a percentage of UK MOT tests. Tyres & Wheels rate has dropped from 12.2% (2006) to 7.4% (2024) — a -39% 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 Tyres & Wheels?
Per-body-type tyres & wheels problem rate deviation from UK average
A body type that bulges right over-indexes on tyres & wheels per MOT test — structurally more tyres & wheels 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 Tyres & Wheels Problem
Had a tyres & wheels problem with your car? Report it and we'll add it to the database.
Tell Us About a Tyres & Wheels Problem
Had a tyres & wheels problem with your car? Report it and we'll add it to the database.
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Other UK MOT Categories
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are the most common tyres & wheels problems on UK cars?
Based on DVSA MOT test records, the top tyres & wheels problems are tyre tread below 1.6mm limit, tyre tread depth below limit, tyre condition. These three account for 99% of all tyres & wheels failures recorded.
Which UK make has the most tyres & wheels problems?
By absolute volume, Ford has the most tyres & wheels problems recorded (37,495,712 occurrences, 17.0% of all UK tyres & wheels 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 tyres & wheels?
Estates over-index on tyres & wheels failures by 11% vs the UK average, while Microcars are 56% below average. See the body-type deviation chart above.
Is tyres & wheels getting better or worse over time?
Tyres & Wheels failures have improved over the 20-year window — 2006: 12.2% of UK MOT tests → 2024: 7.4% (-39% 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.
