The picture
Journey: a below-average pass rate worth digging into
Across 947 MOT tests, the Journey returns 62.8% first-time pass — well below the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is worn suspension bushes. A worn steering ball joint and a number-plate lamp out round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 103,125, which is the lens to read those failure rankings through. If you own one and the next test is close, the ranked list below is a sensible pre-test checklist.
Top ten reasons for rejection.
- 01
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
75 occurrences · 7.9% of tests
- 02
A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play
65 occurrences · 6.9% of tests
- 03
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
65 occurrences · 6.9% of tests
- 04
Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement
63 occurrences · 6.7% of tests
- 05
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
63 occurrences · 6.7% of tests
- 06
Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
44 occurrences · 4.6% of tests
- 07
Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake
38 occurrences · 4.0% of tests
- 08
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
35 occurrences · 3.7% of tests
- 09
Parking brake inoperative on one side
31 occurrences · 3.3% of tests
- 10
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
28 occurrences · 3.0% of tests
Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.
Worst-case fix budget · top 3 failures
£168–£515
If every one of this Journey's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →
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Tools that pre-empt a retest.
Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.
Buying or keeping a Journey?
Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.
If you own a Journey and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.