An advisory is a note about a part that's wearing but isn't bad enough to fail the MOT. It doesn't stop the car passing. Testers use it, in the MOT inspection manual's words, when an item "is not sufficiently deteriorated to justify rejection".
| What the tester records | Result |
|---|---|
| Advisory: something near to, but not at, the point of failing. Optional for the tester. | Passes |
| Minor: "no significant effect on the safety of the vehicle or impact on the environment". The tester must record it. | Passes |
| Major: may "prejudice the safety of the vehicle, have an impact on the environment, put other road users at risk". | Fails |
| Dangerous: "a direct and immediate risk to road safety or having an impact on the environment". | Fails |
Wording from DVSA's MOT inspection manual. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Share of all car MOTs in 2025 with each advisory, in the tester's usual wording. One MOT can have several.
If a car fails and goes back for a partial retest, the manual tells testers to "examine any minor defect or item advised on at the time of the initial test", as well as the parts that failed.
Each model page lists the advisories most common on that model, under "Check these before you buy".
A note from the tester about a part that isn't bad enough to fail the MOT. The MOT inspection manual says testers can give one when an item is not sufficiently deteriorated to justify a fail, and should mention items that are near to, but haven't reached, the point of failing.
No. Advisories don't fail the MOT. In 2025, 44% of car MOTs that passed had at least one advisory.
Both pass. A minor defect is a listed fault the tester must record when they find it; an advisory is optional, for something that is wearing but isn't a fault yet.
Tyre tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge. It was on 18.1% of car MOTs in 2025, about 1 in 6.