The British MOT test...Better than Consumer Reports as an indicator of long term reliability...

It's a safety and emissions test. My car has passed every single MOT test every year for the last 4 years (taxis have to be tested from new, other cars from year 3) without any advisory notices. An advisory is where the car has an issue that whilst not a fail, is above manufacturers parameters.

My car has not been reliable and has broken down a number of times - including yesterday! The MOT test was done a few weeks ago. Testing suspension joints, links and mountings, braking efficiency, emissions and rust/rot does not mean a car is reliable and won't break down. Your engine could be totally shot and knocking like an old steam ship, but if the emissions are fine, then the car passes.

Saying that, Renaults find it hard to pass the MOT - usually emission levels I believe.

 

I'd say they are. Our roads are awash with salt in the winter and cars happily last 15+ years before the ol' tin worm gets them. When I was a kid a car was lucky to get to 5 or 6 years before it had rotted, and that was when the MOT wasn't as strict.

Now if there's any sign of corrosion on brake pipes then they need replacing. Surface rust on the car is ok to a point but any rot is a fail, as are sharp edges etc. If you can poke a screwdriver through any metal anywhere, it's a fail. Severe penalties if you drive without an MOT and your insurance will probably be invalidated.

Overall it's probably a good test as otherwise some people will keep all sorts of junk heaps running. Easy to check if a car has an MOT, what it failed on in the past or even what was an advisory (and thus something to investigate if you're looking at buying the car), and even the mileage.

Check the MOT status of a vehicle - GOV.UK

Handy and free.

 

Interesting as the first link was to a 2010 document. Here is something more recent:
Anonymised MOT tests and results - Datasets | data.gov.uk

As I looked over the contents, I got the impression these are just safety items, not things like the Prius engine and hybrid assemblies. Assuming the UK does exhaust emissions testing, the Prius should come out OK. But the more interesting data:

• traction battery
• inverter
• transmission

I don't see the MOT has having any investigation of these areas unless I missed something.

Bob Wilson

 

You missed nothing Bob. The test is a SAFETY and emissions test.

I suppose most peoples concern of the test is the examiner finding some expensive hidden fault such as a failed cat or a broken suspension or steering linkage. Blown bulbs and worn wiper blades are a common fail too. Some cars do seem to fail the emissions quite quickly though, especially in the early days of the test.

Diesels can be a problem (for the owner) as they nearly always fail first time round. When I was in the taxi game with a diesel, before arriving for the test I'd pour 2 bottles of diesel injector cleaner into the car, take it onto the motorway and hammer it. First of all there was lots of black smoke and soot, then it got less and less. After a 20 mile round trip I'd take it in for its test. The emissions would just scrape through. A week later and the car was kicking out smoke on hills again. Happy days. (and the reason why I went for the hybrid, though that has hardly been reliable)