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Rear fog light not working MOT failure: what it means and which cars get it

In DVSA MOT data for 2023, analysed by RegTail, testers recorded this as a failure on at least 0.1 in 100 initial MOT tests. The Ford Fusion got it most often: recorded 4.2 times per 100 of its 58,809 tests.

DVSA wording: An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source....

Failures
0.1 in 100
At least 49,186 tests in 2023
Most often
Ford Fusion
4.2 per 100 tests

What it means

The rear fog light is out or missing. Many owners never use it, so a dead bulb goes unnoticed.

How serious it is

A major defect, so a fail.

Source: MOT inspection manual for cars and light vans, section 4.5.1.

  1. 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.

What fixing it usually involves

Usually a bulb.

A general guide, not a quote: ask a garage to inspect the car.

Which models get it most

Per 100 initial MOT tests on each model, among the 24 models with at least 20,000 tests where it is among the 40 most common items. DVSA MOT data for 2023, analysed by RegTail.

ModelTestsFail
Ford Fusion58,809
4.2
Mitsubishi L20078,544
4.1
Isuzu D-Max35,425
4.0
Volkswagen Beetle48,614
3.4
Iveco Daily38,031
3.3
Peugeot 20658,647
3.1
Volkswagen Touareg37,761
3.0
Land Rover Defender112,814
2.6
Toyota Hilux72,537
2.5
Volkswagen Crafter60,549
1.8

What to check at a viewing

  1. On the car
    Switch the rear fog light on and check it and the dashboard light work.
  2. In the MOT history
    If this appears in past results, ask what was done and when, and for the receipt.

Check a specific car

Fleet averages only go so far. Enter the registration to see that car's own MOT history, mileage record and current condition, free.

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Questions

What does "Rear fog light not working" mean on an MOT?
The rear fog light is out or missing. Many owners never use it, so a dead bulb goes unnoticed.
Rear fog light not working: is it an MOT fail?
A major defect, so a fail.
Which cars are most likely to get "rear fog light not working" on an MOT?
In DVSA MOT data for 2023, analysed by RegTail, the models that got it most often were the Ford Fusion (4.2 per 100 tests), the Mitsubishi L200 (4.1 per 100 tests), the Isuzu D-Max (4.0 per 100 tests).

More lights defects

See every MOT defect we explain or MOT pass rates by model.

Side or tail light not workingBrake light not workingHeadlight not workingHeadlight lens slightly defectiveHeadlight aim outNumber plate light not workingIndicator discoloured or wrong colourSide repeater not workingRear fog light not working

How these figures are made. We counted the defects recorded at every initial MOT test (not retests) of cars and light vans in Great Britain in 2023 in the DVSA anonymised MOT dataset, 33,842,940 tests in all. Each item counts once per test. A failure is a major or dangerous defect, including one fixed during the test. A model's rate is the share of its tests where the item was recorded.

For each model we keep its 40 most frequent items, so a model where a defect is rarer than that is not listed, and figures for all cars are a floor. Defect names and explanations are ours, checked against the MOT inspection manual; DVSA's own wording is shown under each name.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. RegTail's analysis of the DVSA anonymised MOT dataset, 2023 tests.