Checking a used car's MOT history takes about 60 seconds on the DVSA website. But knowing what to actually look for? That takes a little more experience.
Most buyers glance at whether the car passed its last MOT and move on. That's a mistake. The real story isn't in the latest result — it's in the pattern across every test the car has ever had.
Here are the red flags that should make you pause, ask questions, or walk away entirely.
1. The same advisory appearing year after year
An advisory is a note from the MOT tester that something isn't a failure yet — but it's worth watching. A single advisory is normal. The same advisory appearing on three consecutive MOTs is a different matter entirely.
It usually means one of two things: the owner knows about the issue and is choosing to ignore it, or they've had it "fixed" but the fix hasn't held. Either way, you're likely to inherit the problem — and the bill.
Common repeat advisories to watch for include:
- Tyre wear (suggests alignment issues or driver habits)
- Brake pad or disc wear (expensive to ignore)
- Corrosion on the underside or brake pipes
- Steering or suspension components showing wear
2. A dangerous defect in the history
Since 2018, MOT failures have been split into three categories: minor, major, and dangerous. A dangerous defect means the car posed an immediate risk to road safety on the day of the test.
Finding a dangerous defect in a car's past isn't automatically a dealbreaker — what matters is whether it was fixed promptly and hasn't reappeared. But if you see a dangerous defect close to the current date, or the same dangerous category item appearing more than once, treat it as a serious warning sign.
3. Mileage that doesn't add up
Every MOT test records the odometer reading. That means you can track how many miles the car has covered each year across its entire life.
The UK average is roughly 7,000 to 8,000 miles per year. Significant deviations from this — in either direction — are worth questioning.
A mileage drop between tests is a serious red flag. Odometers don't run backwards. If the recorded mileage is lower in a later test than an earlier one, the clock has almost certainly been tampered with.
A gap in the MOT history — where there's no test for a year or more — can also suggest the car was off the road, used on a SORN, or that records are missing for other reasons. Always ask why.
4. Multiple failures in a single test
A car that fails its MOT on five or six points at once suggests it hasn't been maintained between tests. The owner has been running it until it fails rather than keeping on top of routine servicing.
One or two failures over a car's life is perfectly normal. A pattern of heavy failure lists, especially on the same categories, points to a car that's been neglected.
5. A very recent first registration of advisories
If a car has had clean MOT passes for five years and suddenly accumulates a string of advisories in the most recent test, that's worth examining carefully. It could simply be age — components wear out. But it can also indicate a change in ownership, a change in how the car is used, or deferred maintenance from the current seller.
6. Gaps between the MOT expiry and the next test
In the UK, driving without a valid MOT is illegal (with very limited exceptions). If a car's MOT lapsed and wasn't renewed for several months, the car was either off the road or being driven illegally during that period. Either raises questions worth asking before you buy.
What to do with this information
MOT history is one piece of the puzzle — but it's one of the most revealing ones available. A clean, consistent history with low annual mileage and no repeat advisories is a strong signal of a well-cared-for car. A history full of the patterns above doesn't mean you should automatically walk away, but it does mean you should negotiate hard, ask for evidence of repairs, and factor in the likely cost of future work.
The good news is that you don't need to interpret any of this yourself.
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