The picture
2: middle-of-the-pack on first-time pass
Across 152,027 MOT tests, the 2 returns 74.8% first-time pass — below the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a defective headlamp lens. Worn suspension bushes and a broken or weak spring round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 64,017, 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
Headlamp reflector or lens slightly defective
7,192 occurrences · 4.7% of tests
- 02
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
7,052 occurrences · 4.6% of tests
- 03
A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
4,807 occurrences · 3.2% of tests
- 04
Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
4,269 occurrences · 2.8% of tests
- 05
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
4,087 occurrences · 2.7% of tests
- 06
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
3,739 occurrences · 2.5% of tests
- 07
A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play
3,657 occurrences · 2.4% of tests
- 08
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
3,305 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
- 09
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
3,303 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
- 10
Wiper blade defective
2,935 occurrences · 1.9% 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 5 failures
£218–£685
If every one of this 2'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 →
Try the calculator
Build your own retest budget.
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.
Item 01 · Amazon UK
Headlight restoration kit
Yellowed lenses fail the light-output test. A restoration kit lifts the haze in an afternoon for £20.
Search Amazon UK
Item 02 · Amazon UK
H7 / W21W bulb pack
A spare-bulb kit lives in the boot. Test morning is not the time to find your stop-lamp's gone.
Search Amazon UK
Buying or keeping a 2?
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 2 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.