11% Of MOT Failures Are Attributed To Tyre Tread (2017)

To help promote the importance of good tyre safety, we wanted to look at the results of MOTs in the UK and in particular those which are attributed to failures for tyre tread. The source of the data was the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) via a freedom of information request.

This information provided a full breakdown of MOTs undertaken, the number of MOT test failures in the UK and those which were attributed to certain factors, including tyre tread. It also broke down all results by postcode prefix and region to give an understanding of regional performance in MOT tests

Key Statistics

The key information from the findings highlighted that in 2017 there were 30,574,710 MOT tests and of those there were 10,484,202 failures. Of those failures, just over 11% (1,159,922) were attributed to tyre tread.

When looking at the data further, 11% was not just the average figure, but was also roughly the difference between the best performing areas and the worst. Cardiff had the worst failure rate for tyre tread with 17.37% and West Central London had the lowest failure rate, with 6.62%.

Some elements of vehicle safety and car mechanics can be overwhelming, complicated, intricate and best left to the professionals. However, something external like a tyre can be checked visually and assessed fairly easily for the basic signs of wear and tear from home. You can check your tyre treads easily using the 20p test.