The picture
Talento: middle-of-the-pack on first-time pass
Across 2,541 MOT tests, the Talento returns 74.0% first-time pass — below the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is windscreen damage. A worn steering ball joint and a number-plate lamp out round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 71,576, 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
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
155 occurrences · 6.1% of tests
- 02
A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play
125 occurrences · 4.9% of tests
- 03
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
104 occurrences · 4.1% of tests
- 04
A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage
104 occurrences · 4.1% of tests
- 05
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
97 occurrences · 3.8% of tests
- 06
A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
87 occurrences · 3.4% of tests
- 07
Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction
80 occurrences · 3.1% of tests
- 08
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
78 occurrences · 3.1% of tests
- 09
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
58 occurrences · 2.3% of tests
- 10
Obligatory mirror or device slightly damaged or loose
50 occurrences · 2.0% 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 3 failures
£168–£435
If every one of this Talento'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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Build your own retest budget.
Tools that pre-empt a retest.
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.
Item 01 · Amazon UK
H7 / W21W bulb pack
A spare-bulb kit lives in the boot. Test morning is not the time to find your stop-lamp's gone.
Search Amazon UK
Item 02 · Amazon UK
Brake pad measurement gauge
Testers fail pads under 1.5mm. A wear gauge tells you if you've got two months left or two weeks.
Search Amazon UK
Buying or keeping a Talento?
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 Talento 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.