The picture
Unclassified: middle-of-the-pack on first-time pass
Across 756 MOT tests, the Unclassified returns 72.0% first-time pass — below the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a non-functioning shock absorber. Steering head bearings have excessive wear and brake efficiency below minimum requirement round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 5,418, which is the lens to read those failure rankings through. If you own one and the next test is close, the ranked list below is a sensible pre-test checklist.
Top ten reasons for rejection.
- 01
A shock absorber not functioning or leaking severely
28 occurrences · 3.7% of tests
- 02
Steering head bearings have excessive wear or play
23 occurrences · 3.0% of tests
- 03
Brake efficiency below minimum requirement
19 occurrences · 2.5% of tests
- 04
A headlamp missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED
17 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
- 05
A tyre valve seriously damaged or misaligned likely which could cause sudden deflation of the tyre
16 occurrences · 2.1% of tests
- 06
Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
14 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
- 07
Brake control has insufficient reserve travel
12 occurrences · 1.6% of tests
- 08
A stop lamp(s) does not illuminate by the operation of both brake controls or remains on when the brakes are released
11 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
- 09
Brake lining or pad worn below 1.0mm
9 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
- 10
A lamp missing or inoperative
8 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.
Worst-case fix budget · top 2 failures
£100–£270
If every one of this Unclassified's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →
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Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.
Buying or keeping a Unclassified?
Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.
If you own a Unclassified and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.