Morris Minor: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Morris Minor passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 5.3 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 789 individual Morris Minor tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 82% first-time pass rate means roughly 18 in every 100 Morris Minors presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is better than average, so a well-kept example is a reasonably safe used buy. The average Morris Minor tested had covered 45,796 miles and was built around 1980.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Morris Minor sits 5.3 points above the national average, ranked 1,380 of 2,005 models. On one bought as repairable salvage, the mechanical side is less likely to spring surprises, so your repair estimate should hold up reasonably well.

Before you bid: run the lot through the analyzer, check the car's own record, check the mileage, decode the VIN, and if it carries a marker use the write-off value calculator. Or compare it against another model.

Looking at a specific Morris Minor rather than the model in general? The free check covers its MOT and mileage history, and the full HPI report confirms the insurance write-off category, outstanding finance and whether it is recorded stolen, from licensed data for 5 credits. Already own one that has been damaged? Work out whether fixing it beats selling it with the repair or scrap calculator, and see recorded closing bids for damaged Morris Minors at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Morris Minor

1. Braking effort not recording at a wheel, 2.3% of tests (53.66x the national rate for this defect)
2. Brakes imbalance across an axle such that the braking effort from any wheel is less than 70% of the maximum effort recorded from the other wheel on the same axle., 7.6% of tests (14.58x the national rate for this defect)
3. Service brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 2.3% of tests (10.71x the national rate for this defect)
4. The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, 5.6% of tests (5.91x the national rate for this defect)
5. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 4.4% of tests (4.28x the national rate for this defect)
6. Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 2% of tests (2.73x the national rate for this defect)
7. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 3.3% of tests (1.96x the national rate for this defect)
8. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 2.4% of tests (1.85x the national rate for this defect)
9. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 2% of tests (1.66x the national rate for this defect)
10. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 1.9% of tests

From 788 DVSA-tracked Morris Minor tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 6.28% of these flagged Morris Minor defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Morris Minor

An advisory doesn't fail the car - the tester flags it as worth watching, but it still passes. A different list from the failures above: what testers are noting on a Morris Minor before it actually fails on it.

1. A wheel bearing with excessive play, 5.6% of tests (8.6x the national rate for this advisory)
2. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 14% of tests (2.51x the national rate for this advisory)
3. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 3.8% of tests (1.91x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
4. The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, 2.5% of tests (1.67x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
5. A tyre seriously damaged, 9.6% of tests
6. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 5.5% of tests
7. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 3.7% of tests
8. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 2.5% of tests
9. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 1.9% of tests
10. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 1.9% of tests

From 788 DVSA-tracked Morris Minor tests, 2024.

Other Morris models

• Morris Minor 1000 - 80.5%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Vauxhall Crossland X Sport - 82.1%
• Land Rover Range Rover Sport - 82%
• Lexus Ls430 - 82%
• BMW 118 - 81.9%
• Audi A6 - 81.9%
• Jaguar Xk - 81.9%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
• What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
• Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences
• Do you need an HPI check on a car you know is a write-off?

Embed this data

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Run a garage or parts site? Embed the Morris Minor's top real failure reason instead, linked back here.

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate