How to read an MOT failure sheet when buying salvage
An MOT failure sheet is a free inspection someone else paid for. How to turn a list of defects into a real repair number before you bid on a cheap car.
BUYING · 5 min read
See this week's free Copart research shortlist →
A free inspection you did not pay for
When a car is sold as an MOT failure, the failure sheet lists exactly what a tester found wrong. That is a free, professional inspection you did not have to pay for, and reading it properly is one of the quickest ways to spot a bargain or a trap before you bid.
Sort the list into cheap and dear
Go down the sheet and split it. Lamps, wipers, washers, tyres, brake pads, a track rod end: cheap consumables you can sort for very little. Corrosion to a load-bearing area, a catalytic converter or DPF, a steering rack, or multiple suspension items across both axles: these cost real money and change the maths.
Read between the lines
One failure often implies others. Uneven tyre wear hints at alignment or suspension. A single corrosion advisory can mean more rot nearby. A DPF fail on a diesel can mean a car used only for short trips, which brings its own problems. Treat the sheet as clues, not just a shopping list.
Get a graded deal ticket for your lot →
Dangerous versus major
Modern sheets grade each defect as dangerous, major or minor. Dangerous items, most often tyres and brakes, are both the most urgent and usually the cheapest to fix, so they should reassure rather than scare you. It is the major structural and mechanical items that decide whether the car is worth buying.
Turn it into a number
Once you have split the sheet, put the car and the repairs through the Analyzer. It turns the list of defects into a repair estimate, adds the fees and the market value, and tells you the most you can pay and still make money. That is the difference between buying an MOT failure on a hunch and buying it on the numbers.
Check any UK reg free: MOT, mileage and write-off markers
Related guides
- MOT advisories explained: what they mean when buying a car - An advisory is not a fail, but it is a warning of the next bill. How to read MOT advisory items when buying used or salvage, and which ones actually matter.
- Are fire-damaged cars ever worth buying? - Fire damage scares off almost every bidder, which is why the rare genuine deal hides here. What burns clean, what never comes back, and how to tell.
- Nine kinds of hidden damage auction photos won't show you - A clean set of lot photos shows what the seller wants you to see. Nine damage types that hide from the camera and blow up a repair budget after you bid.