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MOT defects · Tyres and wheels

Tyre damaged, cracked or perished MOT advisory: what it means and which cars get it

In DVSA MOT data for 2023, analysed by RegTail, testers recorded this as an advisory on at least 4.4 in 100 and as a failure on at least 0.7 in 100 initial MOT tests. The Dacia Sandero got it most often: recorded 15.5 times per 100 of its 99,940 tests.

DVSA wording: A tyre seriously damaged.

Failures
0.7 in 100
At least 248,860 tests in 2023
Advisories
4.4 in 100
At least 1,492,783 tests in 2023
Most often
Dacia Sandero
15.5 per 100 tests

What it means

A tyre has a cut, bulge, crack or perished rubber. As an advisory it usually means slight damage, cracking or perishing, common on older tyres and cars that stand for long spells.

How serious it is

A cut deep enough to reach the ply or cords is a major defect. A lump, bulge or tear from the structure failing is dangerous. Both fail.

Source: MOT inspection manual for cars and light vans, section 5.2.3.

  1. Dangerous Fail
    A direct and immediate risk to road safety or has a serious impact on the environment. Do not drive the vehicle until it's been repaired.
  2. 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.
  3. Advisory Pass
    It could become more serious in the future. Monitor and repair it if necessary.

What fixing it usually involves

A new tyre. Cracking from age does not repair.

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 231 models with at least 20,000 tests where it is among the 40 most common items. DVSA MOT data for 2023, analysed by RegTail.

ModelTestsFailAdvisory
Dacia Sandero99,940
0.8
14.7
Peugeot 20658,647·
14.2
Mitsubishi Colt25,654·
14.0
Volkswagen Fox28,542·
13.7
Vauxhall Agila37,884·
13.7
Citroen C1168,925·
13.5
Ford Fusion58,809·
13.4
Vauxhall Meriva101,694·
13.1
Nissan Micra257,218·
12.9
Vauxhall Astra704,979
1.3
11.5

What to check at a viewing

  1. On the car
    Look at both sidewalls of every tyre for bulges, cuts and fine cracking, and read the four-digit date code: tyres more than about six years old are worth budgeting for.
  2. In the MOT history
    If this appears as an advisory, see whether it came back at the next test or turned into a failure, and ask the seller for the receipt if it was fixed.

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 "Tyre damaged, cracked or perished" mean on an MOT?
A tyre has a cut, bulge, crack or perished rubber. As an advisory it usually means slight damage, cracking or perishing, common on older tyres and cars that stand for long spells.
Tyre damaged, cracked or perished: is it an MOT fail?
A cut deep enough to reach the ply or cords is a major defect. A lump, bulge or tear from the structure failing is dangerous. Both fail.
Which cars are most likely to get "tyre damaged, cracked or perished" on an MOT?
In DVSA MOT data for 2023, analysed by RegTail, the models that got it most often were the Dacia Sandero (15.5 per 100 tests), the Peugeot 206 (14.2 per 100 tests), the Mitsubishi Colt (14.0 per 100 tests).

More tyres and wheels defects

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

Tyre tread depth lowTyre damaged, cracked or perishedTyre cords exposedWheel distorted or worn at the hubTyre pressure warning light on

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.