Vettly research, DVSA 2025 MOT data
Electric cars at the MOT
How used electric cars do at their first MOTs, at 3 and 4 years old, against every car the same age. The Tesla Model 3 had a dangerous defect at 7.8% of tests, against 3.7% for all cars its age, and tyres are where Teslas fail most.
8.6%
Mercedes-Benz EQC tests with a dangerous defect. All cars the same age: 3.7%.
11.2%
Tesla Model 3 MOTs that fail on tyres, its most common failure.
92.5%
Jaguar I-Pace: the electric car most likely to pass first time.
Every electric car at its first MOTs
Cars first used in 2021 and 2022, tested in 2025. Across all 208 car models of that age, 88.9% passed first time and 3.7% had a dangerous defect.
| Car | Tests | Passed first time | Dangerous defect | Failed on tyres* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All cars the same age | 3,140,653 | 88.9% | 3.7% | - |
| Jaguar I-Pace | 9,825 | 92.5% | 2.4% | 4.5% |
| Porsche Taycan | 8,050 | 91.0% | 5.4% | 7.0% |
| Cupra Born | 4,478 | 90.6% | 5.0% | 6.8% |
| Mazda MX-30 | 2,856 | 90.3% | 3.2% | 4.9% |
| Nissan Leaf | 17,518 | 90.0% | 3.2% | 6.7% |
| BMW i3 | 6,431 | 89.8% | 2.4% | 5.3% |
| Audi e-tron | 13,552 | 89.7% | 4.9% | 7.2% |
| Mercedes-Benz EQA | 9,427 | 89.7% | 3.7% | 7.0% |
| Kia EV6 | 5,170 | 89.1% | 2.3% | 3.9% |
| Volkswagen ID.3 | 21,021 | 89.0% | 4.4% | 7.0% |
| Renault Zoe | 11,690 | 88.0% | 4.3% | 8.5% |
| Volkswagen ID.5 | 2,680 | 87.8% | 4.9% | 7.6% |
| Volkswagen ID.4 | 10,827 | 87.8% | 4.9% | 7.7% |
| Audi Q4 | 10,171 | 87.6% | 5.4% | 9.4% |
| MG 4 | 2,816 | 87.5% | 3.1% | 5.2% |
| Skoda Enyaq | 9,106 | 87.3% | 4.8% | 7.0% |
| Polestar 2 | 11,402 | 87.2% | 4.5% | 8.7% |
| BMW iX | 5,531 | 85.8% | 5.6% | 9.2% |
| Tesla Model 3 | 54,183 | 85.7% | 7.8% | 11.2% |
| BMW iX3 | 9,278 | 85.4% | 5.0% | 9.8% |
| Mercedes-Benz EQB | 2,633 | 85.3% | 6.8% | 10.9% |
| Tesla Model Y | 32,478 | 83.8% | 7.6% | 11.7% |
| BMW i4 | 6,444 | 83.6% | 8.3% | 12.4% |
| Mercedes-Benz EQC | 9,505 | 83.4% | 8.6% | 11.9% |
* Share of all the model's 2025 initial tests with a tyre fail or PRS item, at any age. For most electric models nearly every car tested was under five years old.
How we worked it out
- Source: DVSA's anonymised MOT test data for 2025, published under the Open Government Licence. Initial tests on cars in Great Britain; retests and appeals are left out.
- Pass and dangerous defect rates count only cars first used in 2021 and 2022, so every model is compared at its first or second MOT. Models with fewer than 1,500 of those tests are left out.
- Fully electric models only. Hybrids, and models also sold with an engine, are not in the electric list but are in the all-cars figure. Vans and pick-ups are left out.
- A pass first time means passed with no repairs; cars repaired at the test station within the hour (PRS) count as failing first time. A dangerous defect is one the tester judged an immediate risk on the road.
Use these figures
Journalists, owners' clubs and bloggers are welcome to quote these figures and reproduce the tables. Please credit Vettly analysis of DVSA MOT test data, 2025 and link to this page.
https://vettly.co.uk/research/electric-car-mot
Buying a used electric car?
Check its own MOT history first: tyre and brake advisories at every test show a car that has been driven hard or left alone. The free check shows every MOT result, its mileage and its tax.