Question 1

Do diesel cars fail their MOT more than petrol cars?

Accepted Answer

In the pooled dataset diesel cars fail at a higher rate than petrol cars. The gap largely comes from the higher mileages diesels do, plus exhaust and DPF-related failures — not from the fuel itself being 'worse'.

Question 2

Do electric cars fail their MOT?

Accepted Answer

Yes — EVs still fail on the same class-4 items as any other car: tyres, brakes (especially rear brakes, which see less use under regenerative braking) and suspension. They simply have no engine, exhaust or fuel system to fail, which keeps their rate below combustion cars.

Question 3

What is the MOT failure rate for hybrid cars?

Accepted Answer

Hybrids sit between petrol and diesel in the dataset — their failure rate is closer to petrol cars because they combine a petrol engine with electric drive and typically run lower annual mileages than pure diesels.

Question 4

Which fuel type has the highest MOT failure rate?

Accepted Answer

Diesel has the highest failure rate of the major fuel types in the dataset, followed by petrol, then hybrid and electric. The 'Other' bucket (LPG, CNG, steam etc.) is a small sample and isn't directly comparable.