Why does parking brake efficiency less than 50%… fail an MOT?

Parking brake efficiency less than 50% of the required value. Most commonly flagged on the Ford Explorer. UK MOT standards require this item to meet minimum safety thresholds — when it falls short, the tester logs it as a Major or Dangerous defect and the car fails outright.

How much does it cost to fix parking brake efficiency less than 50%…?

Costs vary depending on the vehicle, region, and severity. Use our MOT cost estimator for typical UK garage rates across the most common failure items.

MOT failure · RFR #30017

Parking brake efficiency less than 50% of the required value

Total

Models

Models most at risk.

Ranked by rate, not raw volume. A Fiesta shows every failure a lot because there are a lot of Fiestas. Rate = share of that model's own MOTs.

Failure match · your reg

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Cost orientation

Hard to predict in isolation — depends what's actually worn.

This defect doesn't map to a clean retail-part swap; ranges vary too widely without seeing the car. Use the estimator to bracket the all-in cost across the items most likely to surface alongside it.

Open estimator

Frequently asked.

Why does parking brake efficiency less than 50%… fail an MOT?: Parking brake efficiency less than 50% of the required value. Most commonly flagged on the Ford Explorer. UK MOT standards require this item to meet minimum safety thresholds — when it falls short, the tester logs it as a Major or Dangerous defect and the car fails outright.
How much does it cost to fix parking brake efficiency less than 50%…?: Costs vary depending on the vehicle, region, and severity. Use our MOT cost estimator for typical UK garage rates across the most common failure items.

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