MOT, not Guarantee

Recent MOT pass and fail rate data released by VOSA, the vehicle standards inspectorate, makes interesting reading. The BBC’s business channel picked up on the league tables of fail rates, and came to us asking whether this shows bad cars, or bad owners? Is it useful information for consumers? My answer can be found here: Glass’s Guide talks to BBC Business. The Daily Mail also ran the comments here: Glass’s Guide in the Daily Mail.

I think that, despite the lack of secondary information, such as the mileage of the car or an insight into condition or service history, the data is useful for consumers, as it qualifies just how many cars, particularly older cars, will fail an MOT first time around. This clearly makes a point of how important it can be to buy a car with as much MOT remaining as possible.

An MOT test is a snapshot into roadworthiness: is a car in good enough condition to take on a public road, where it won’t be a danger to its occupants and other road users? An MOT is not an all-encompassing assessment of how reliable a car has been, or how well it was built. All it says is that: on this day at this time, this vehicle confirmed to test regulations and therefore may be considered legal to drive on UK roads for another 12 months.

If all cars were maintained according to the manufacturer’s specifications, and diligent owners topped up fluids and checked bulbs every weekend as the Generic Book of Good Motoring tells us to, then we would probably see much lower MOT fail rates. But let’s face it: to most people, cars are a black art. They need their cars to get around, but they don’t necessarily understand how cars work, or what it takes to maintain them.

It’s a bit like the new camera my daughter got for Christmas: she loves the fact that it’s bright pink and takes great pictures, loves that it will do video and slideshows of your images (with music), but will she read the manual to find out what else it does, or how she should look after it?  Don’t be silly: 11 year-olds are far too busy for that.

Think about all the people you know: how many are car people? Half the population are female, but I can only think of two girls in my circle of friends who would know how to check their own tyre pressures. The same goes for the men!

How many people know how to change bulbs properly, or how to fit replacement number plates? But they know the garage will know, so they put it off until the car goes in for a service, which they generally put off until the car goes in for an MOT. The garage then uses the MOT to get a list of jobs to do/parts to order while the oil is being drained, so the first thing is an MOT fail sheet.

For most car drivers, the MOT is that point in the year where we have to put our hands in our pockets and pay for the privilege of being allowed to drive for 12 months. The relief on peoples’ faces when their cars pass the MOT is palpable. But it is not a warranty: things can and do go wrong within days of an MOT test and, in the hands of an inexperienced owner, might stay wrong until the next test.

The VOSA data is useful and certainly shows some interesting patterns, but what matters most when buying a car is the condition on the day. MOTs and service histories are useful pointers towards the sort of owner you are buying from and the way the car has been maintained and therefore the sort of owner you are buying from, but they are no guarantee or reliability.

Regardless of MOT status, check the car thoroughly before you buy. Include things that the MOT doesn’t check, such as the paintwork. Also check the clutch and gearbox, whether manual or automatic, any 4wd systems and traction control fitted: does it all come on and off OK? Check heating and air conditioning, sunroof and electric seat operation, the operation of all clocks and gauges, the in-car entertainment, the state of trim and carpets, the operation of the windows and door locks including central locking and the alarm, the condition of the spare wheel and the presence of a jack and wheelbrace. Always try to buy with as long a test as possible, but don’t take for granted that a car with a fresh test and good history will be in top condition.

Don’t forget that you can check the previous MOT history of any vehicle that has been MOTed under the computerised system, including MOT advisories and previous fail points, by visiting http://www.motinfo.gov.uk. This is always worth doing when buying a car. You need the number from the current MOT though, so make sure the seller gives it to you.