What's checked in an MOT (and how to pass first time)
By James Snow
Owner and mechanic, SV Autos
Updated 25 July 2026
Most MOT fails aren't big, expensive faults. They're small things like a blown bulb or a worn wiper that could have been sorted in five minutes at home. If you know what the tester is actually looking at, you can check the obvious stuff yourself and give the car a proper chance of passing first time. Here's the full list, the usual culprits, and what to look over the night before.
What the tester actually checks
The MOT is a set safety and emissions check against the standards on the day of the test. The tester works through the whole car looking for anything worn, broken or not up to the legal minimum. It's a fixed list, so nothing is down to opinion.
These are the main areas they go through:
- Brakes: pads, discs, the handbrake, and a proper test of how well the car stops
- Tyres and wheels: tread depth, condition, and the right size and type fitted
- Steering and suspension: play, wear, and anything loose or damaged
- Lights and indicators: that they all work, aim correctly and are the right colour
- Wipers and washers: that they clear the screen properly
- Windscreen: chips or cracks in the driver's line of sight
- Seatbelts: condition and that they lock and hold
- Mirrors: that the required ones are there and not damaged
- Exhaust and emissions: that it's secure, not blowing, and within limits
- Horn, number plate and VIN: that they work and are correct and readable
- Body and structure: no sharp edges, serious corrosion or damage
Why the small stuff fails the most
The faults that fail the most cars are the ones you'd never think of as a problem. A single blown bulb is an instant fail, and so is a wiper blade that smears instead of clearing the screen, or a washer bottle that's run dry.
None of these are engine faults or big repairs. They're the kind of thing that goes unnoticed day to day, then costs you a re-test because nobody looked before the car went in.
- Lights and bulbs: a blown headlight, brake light or indicator
- Tyres: tread under the 1.6mm legal limit, or damage to the sidewall
- Brakes: worn pads or discs, or a weak handbrake
- Wipers and washers: worn blades or an empty screenwash bottle
- Number plate: cracked, faded or hard to read
Check these the night before
A quick walk round the car the evening before the test catches most of the common fails while there's still time to fix them. You don't need any tools, just five minutes and someone to help with the brake lights.
Turn everything on and walk round: headlights on full and dipped, indicators, hazards, and get someone to press the brake pedal while you check the rear lights. Top up the screenwash, give the wipers a test on a wet screen, and have a look at your tyres for tread and any bulges or splits. A quick wipe of the number plate finishes it off.
- Walk round with all the lights on and check every bulb
- Have someone press the brake pedal while you watch the brake lights
- Top up the screenwash and test the wipers on a wet screen
- Check tyre tread (a 20p coin edge is a rough guide) and look for damage
- Give the number plate and windscreen a clean
- Listen for the handbrake holding on a slope
What you can't check yourself
Some of the list needs the car up on a ramp or proper test gear, so there's a limit to what you can spot on the driveway. Brake performance, emissions, and worn steering or suspension joints all need looking at underneath or with the right equipment.
That's the gap a pre-MOT check fills. We go over the same areas the tester will, find anything likely to fail, and can put most of it right before the car ever goes in for the real thing.
Advisories are worth reading
An MOT pass can still come with advisories. These are things that are legal for now but heading towards a fail, like a tyre getting low or a brake pad wearing thin. They're the tester telling you what to keep an eye on.
It's worth reading them rather than filing the certificate away. Sorting an advisory early, in your own time, is nearly always cheaper and less stressful than leaving it until it fails next year.