Compare any two of 1,984 UK cars: MOT pass rate, failures, mileage

Lights & lamps Lamps, indicators, plate lighting, headlamp aim and reflectors. The single largest UK MOT failure category by raw count — most fixes are bulb-cheap, plate-lamp-easy.

Tyres & wheels Tread depth, sidewall damage, tyres with cords showing, mismatched ratings. Tyres are the second-largest UK MOT failure block after lights.

Brakes Pads, discs, pipes, fluid, handbrake travel, brake balance. Anything in the braking circuit that fails inspection.

Suspension Springs, bushes, ball joints, sub-frame corrosion, shock absorbers. The category most likely to need a lift to diagnose, never a quick DIY fix.

Steering Steering rack, gaiters, ball joints, swivel pins, wheel bearings, stub axles.

Glass & mirrors Windscreen damage, wiper blades, mirror glass, screenwash. Glass-and-mirror items often look minor but are testable failures.

Structure & seat-belts Seat-belt anchorages, sub-frame integrity, vehicle structure corroded enough to lose rigidity. Less common, but the most expensive when they hit.

Exhaust & emissions Exhaust splits, mounts, catalytic converters, transmission CV-joint boots, emissions-related faults.

Other defects Items that don't fit cleanly into the major buckets above.

Pick two cars. See who wins.