The picture
Zoe: middle-of-the-pack on first-time pass
Across 12,179 MOT tests, the Zoe returns 75.1% first-time pass — roughly in line with the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is worn suspension bushes. A seriously damaged tyre and a tyre with the cords showing round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 36,434, 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
1,292 occurrences · 10.6% of tests
- 02
A tyre seriously damaged
414 occurrences · 3.4% of tests
- 03
A tyre cords visible or damaged
370 occurrences · 3.0% of tests
- 04
A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
254 occurrences · 2.1% of tests
- 05
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
212 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
- 06
Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
189 occurrences · 1.6% of tests
- 07
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
181 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
- 08
A tyre seriously damaged
163 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
- 09
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
137 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
- 10
Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements
120 occurrences · 1.0% 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 4 failures
£300–£815
If every one of this Zoe'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 Zoe?
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 Zoe 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.