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MOT · 3 min read

Dangerous, Major, Minor and Advisory: MOT Defects Explained

Every problem an MOT tester records is put into one of four categories, and the category decides whether your car passes. They're easy to mix up, so here is what each one means.

The four categories

• Dangerous (fail): a direct and immediate risk to road safety, or a serious impact on the environment. Don't drive the car until it's been repaired.
• Major (fail): it may affect the vehicle's safety, put other road users at risk or have an impact on the environment. Repair it immediately.
• Minor (pass): no significant effect on the safety of the vehicle or on the environment. Repair it as soon as possible.
• Advisory (pass): it could become more serious in the future. Monitor it, and repair it if necessary.

What makes a car fail

A car fails if the result lists any dangerous or major defect. Minor defects and advisories don't affect the result, so a car with only those still passes and gets a certificate.

Can you drive it away after a fail?

Only if your current MOT is still valid and no dangerous defects were listed. Otherwise the car has to be repaired before it's driven. Even when you can drive it, it still has to be roadworthy. Driving a car that failed because of a dangerous problem can mean a fine of up to £2,500, a driving ban and 3 penalty points.

Why minor defects and advisories still matter

Because they don't fail the car, it's tempting to ignore them. But they're an early warning: a tyre close to the limit, a worn brake component, corrosion that has started. Left alone, these can turn into major defects by next year's test. Our guide to what an advisory actually means covers which ones to fix straight away.

Where to see them on a used car

DVSA keeps the full record for every car: past results, the defects and advisories recorded at each test, and the mileage reading each time. A car with the same advisory repeated year after year, and never fixed, tells you something about how it's been looked after. You can pull the history for free by registration number, which is the first step in our used car buying guide.