The picture
Splash: middle-of-the-pack on first-time pass
Across 23,240 MOT tests, the Splash returns 71.7% first-time pass — below the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a broken or weak spring. Worn suspension bushes and a corroded brake pipe round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 59,188, 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 spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
1,245 occurrences · 5.4% of tests
- 02
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
1,144 occurrences · 4.9% of tests
- 03
Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
971 occurrences · 4.2% of tests
- 04
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
646 occurrences · 2.8% of tests
- 05
Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake
618 occurrences · 2.7% of tests
- 06
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
597 occurrences · 2.6% of tests
- 07
Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement
560 occurrences · 2.4% of tests
- 08
Wiper blade defective
504 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
- 09
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
497 occurrences · 2.1% of tests
- 10
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
487 occurrences · 2.1% 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
£208–£605
If every one of this Splash'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 Splash?
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 Splash 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.