Over 50% of cars MOT'd have at least one advisory
And it's increasing...
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More than half of vehicles tested at MOT in 2025 left with at least one advisory, according to our new research.
We analysed Freedom of Information (FOI) data from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and found that over 20 million cars are given MOT advisories each year.
Ben Welham, our motoring expert, said: “Advisories aren’t failures, but they are a clear warning that something needs attention.
“If those warnings are ignored, small fixes can quickly turn into much bigger and more expensive problems.”
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Advisories increase year on year
The FOI data from the DVSA reveals that 22.5 million of the 40 million Class 4 vehicles (including cars and vans under 3,000kg) tested in 2025 received at least one advisory, which is 56.4% of all vehicles tested.
The share of vehicles picking up at least one advisory has increased every year since 2022:
2022: 54.7% (21.4 million vehicles)
2023: 55.3% (21.9 million)
2024: 56.1% (22.4 million)
2025: 56.4% (22.5 million)
The total number of advisories issued each year has also grown steadily, increasing from 60.5 million in 2022 to nearly 66 million in 2025. In all, more than 254 million advisories were recorded by the DVSA across the four-year period.
Of the vehicles flagged at MOT with at least one advisory, the average number was three per car, suggesting issues often come in clusters rather than in isolation.
Tyres the most common advisory – over 67 million since 2022
Tyres are consistently the most common advisory category every year, with over 67 million recorded between 2022 and 2025.
Brakes remain the second most common issue across most years, with around 14 to 15 million advisories recorded annually, meaning two of the most safety-critical components on a vehicle dominate MOT warnings.
Other categories such as emissions, bodywork and electrics account for far fewer advisories by comparison, each typically ranging between around 1 million and 2.7 million per year.
Ben added: “Tyres and brakes are so important for road safety that it’s worth highlighting how often these are tagged as advisories during an MOT.
“A tyre advisory usually means its tread depth or condition is getting close to the legal limit. Drivers should be checking tyre pressure and tread depth regularly, not just before their MOT.
“With brakes, listen for squealing or grinding and pay attention to see if you need to push the pedal further in than normal. Those are often the first signs that parts are wearing down.”
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