A plate that's missing or so loose it could fall off, hard to read, showing the wrong registration, or not meeting the rules on how plates must look. A rear number plate light that doesn't work also fails.
Testers grade each defect: a major or dangerous defect fails the MOT, a minor one passes but is written on the certificate.
| Defect | Result |
|---|---|
| Number plate missing or so insecure that it is likely to fall off | FailsMajor |
| Number plate inscription missing or illegible | FailsMajor |
| Number plate showing an incorrect registration | FailsMajor |
| Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements | FailsMajor |
| Defect | Result |
|---|---|
| A rear registration plate lamp throwing direct white light to the rear | PassesMinor |
| A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative when rear registration plate has 2 or more lamps or light sources | PassesMinor |
| A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative when rear registration plate has only one lamp or all lamps not working | FailsMajor |
| A registration plate lamp not securely attached | PassesMinor |
| A registration plate lamp likely to become detached | FailsMajor |
From DVSA's MOT inspection manual for cars and passenger vehicles. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
In 2025, 484,168 car MOTs failed on number plates: 1.54%, or about 1 in 65. Another 979,246 MOTs recorded it as a minor defect, which passes. Testers also noted it as an advisory on 679,276 MOTs: something to keep an eye on that didn't fail the test.
Share of the MOTs that failed on number plates. One MOT can fail for more than one reason.
Share of car MOTs in each mileage band that failed on number plates.
2.84% of MOTs on cars registered in 2005 failed on number plates, against 0.41% for cars registered in 2022.
Models that failed on number plates at least 1.15 times as often as the average car of the same age and mileage, out of 100 with at least 30 MOTs failed on it.
Least often: Skoda Karoq (0.2×), Skoda Superb (0.2×), BMW X1 (0.2×), BMW 5 Series (0.2×), VW Passat (0.3×).
Hard to read, loose or not to the rules
In 2025, 484,168 car MOTs failed on number plates, about 1 in 65.
1 in 65car MOTs failed on number plates in 2025
979,246minor defects recorded in 2025, which pass
A plate that's missing or so loose it could fall off, hard to read, showing the wrong registration, or not meeting the rules on how plates must look. A rear number plate light that doesn't work also fails.
In 2025, 484,168 car MOTs failed on number plates: 1.54%, or about 1 in 65.
Against the average car of the same age and mileage, the Peugeot 2008 (4.9 times as often), Peugeot 208 (3.3 times as often) and Nissan Micra (3.2 times as often), going by 2025 MOT results.