How MOT Wise works
Where our figures come from, how the rating is worked out, and what MOT Wise can and can't tell you.
Every car gets a risk rating from Very Low to Very High. The rating is built from an underlying 0 to 100 score. That score comes from the car's full MOT history. These are the things it looks at:
- Dangerous faults: Anything a tester marked as dangerous. Faults on the last two MOTs count the most.
- Parts that failed more than once: The same part failing on more than one MOT. Parts that keep the car safe count the most.
- Warnings left unfixed: An advisory in the same area coming up on three or more MOTs in a row. An advisory is a warning that did not fail the test.
- Number of advisories: Lots of advisories on one MOT or on the latest MOT, and whether the count is rising.
- Recent MOT fails: How many MOTs ended in a fail. Recent fails count for more than old ones.
- Mileage readings that don’t add up: Readings that go down, a year or more with almost no miles, or sudden big jumps.
- Gaps and MOT status: Stretches with no MOT on record, and whether the car has a current MOT.
- Old warnings not listed at the latest MOT: Advisories noted at two or more MOTs in a row that were not listed at the latest MOT.
- Age and miles a year: Older cars score a little higher. Very high or very low miles a year add a little.
- Critical recalls for this model: Recalls we grade critical for this model and age add a few points.
- A steady record: Passes with few or no fails, no gaps and steady mileage bring the score down.
- Similar cars (cars only): How cars of the same make, model, fuel type and age do in national MOT results. These figures are about the model, not this car, and they move the score up or down. Vans, motorcycles and minibuses are scored without it.
Each factor adds or takes away points. The total is put on a 0 to 100 scale and mapped to one of five levels. Every report links to its score page, under the rating. That page shows the score and each factor behind it, with its points, so you can see what is driving the rating.
Written by rules, not AI
When you check a car, no AI writes your report. Every line comes from fixed rules applied to that car's own MOT record. The same rules apply every time, so you can see exactly why each point was made.
MOT Wise uses public data from government bodies and open-data projects. The four main sources are below; the others, and their licences, are listed after them.
DVSA MOT History API
Every MOT test since 2005 in England, Scotland and Wales: dates, results, mileage, defects and advisories for this exact car. Northern Ireland tests from 2017, with the result and mileage only.
DVLA Vehicle Enquiry
Make, fuel type, engine size, CO2 emissions, colour, month of first registration, tax and MOT status.
DVSA Bulk Data (2025)
44 million MOT test results from the 2025 testing year: every pass and fail, for every type of vehicle. Used for the figures on similar cars, to list their common faults, and to place this car's mileage among similar cars.
DVSA MOT Statistics (Table 03)
National fail rates by type of fault, published every year. 12 years of figures on which kinds of fault cause MOT fails, across all cars.
We ask the DVSA and DVLA services live when you search. The figures for similar cars are worked out in advance from the bulk data and refreshed once a year.
MOT and vehicle data from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Other public sources we use:
- Vehicle recalls: DVSA (the published recall list, and the per-vehicle safety recall line from the MOT history API). Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Fuel economy: Vehicle Certification Agency. Open Government Licence v3.0. These are lab-test figures; most cars use more fuel in everyday driving.
- Fuel prices: Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, weekly road fuel prices. Open Government Licence v3.0.
- How many of each car are on the road: vehicle licensing statistics, Department for Transport and DVLA. Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Postcode locations (on the MOT stations pages), through Postcodes.io. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0.
- Maps (on the MOT stations pages): © OpenStreetMap contributors.
MOT Wise is an independent service run by MOTWISE LTD. It isn't part of, or endorsed by, DVSA, DVLA or GOV.UK. You can check any vehicle's MOT history free on GOV.UK: gov.uk/check-mot-history.
What MOT Wise looks at
- MOT pass/fail history and defect patterns
- A risk rating, with the reasons behind it
- Figures for similar cars (fail rates, common faults)
- How its mileage compares with similar cars
- Yearly running cost ranges (fuel, road tax, servicing, tyres and brakes, and likely repairs; not loss of value)
- Up to four cars side by side
What we don't check
- Outstanding finance
- Whether it's recorded as stolen
- Insurance write-off history
- Number of previous keepers
- Plate change history
- VIN (chassis number) checks
We use public government data. The checks in the second list need commercial databases, run by companies such as HPI, Experian and the Motor Insurers' Bureau. For those, use a car history check alongside MOT Wise.
When you look up a car, we also show figures for similar cars. These are every car of the same make, model, fuel type and age that was tested in 2025. The figures are worked out for each year of age (age 3, age 4, up to age 24, then 25 and over). So the figures for a 7-year-old car come from other 7-year-olds, not a wider 6 to 8 band.
We start with the closest group: the same make, model, fuel type and age. If it has fewer than 50 MOT tests, we widen it step by step, up to UK cars as a whole.
Each group needs at least 50 MOT tests. If the exact group has fewer, we use a wider one, and the report says which. When the group behind a mileage or common-fault figure is small, we say how many tests it's based on.
Cars under 3 years old don't need an MOT yet, so our figures start at age 3.
The report's Running costs tab shows yearly cost ranges for five things: fuel (or electricity), road tax (VED), servicing, and tyres and brakes. The fifth is an allowance for repairs, based on the car's MOT history. It also lists what the car is likely to need in the next 12 months, from the faults on its recent tests.
Every estimate is a range, not a single figure, because future costs can't be known exactly. Every report shows what each estimate assumes, such as fuel economy and yearly mileage. We don't show what the car will be worth in future.
Fuel costs use national average pump prices. Servicing uses typical UK prices for a small service each year and a big one about every two years. Tyres and brakes use a typical yearly allowance. Both are adjusted for the car's age, mileage and engine size. The repair allowance depends on the car's fault history. A car whose fails are getting worse gets a higher allowance than one with a clean record.
Running costs aren't the same for everyone. What you pay depends on how many miles you drive and the kind of roads you drive on. It also depends on how heavy your right foot is, and which garage you use. Two people with the same car can end up hundreds of pounds apart over a year.
A single figure hides all of that. It looks exact, but there isn't one true answer. We'd rather be honest about that than give you a tidy number that turns out wrong for you.
So we show a low, middle and high figure for each cost. The middle is about where most people land. The low end is careful, low-mileage driving and cheaper labour. The high end is heavier use, pricier garages, or a car whose MOT history points to more repairs ahead. The gap between them shows how sure we are. A narrow range means costs are fairly predictable; a wide one means they could go either way.
We also date every source we use, so you can see how fresh the figures are. Pump prices, labour rates and market values all change over time. The date lets you judge how much weight to put on each estimate.
MOT Wise helps you decide. It isn't a guarantee. It reads public data, and it can't replace seeing the car or a mechanic's inspection.
- MOT data only covers what was tested on the day. Work done between tests isn't recorded.
- The figures for similar cars are from 2025. For newer cars, the group may be smaller.
- Cost ranges use national averages. Your own costs will depend on where you live, how you drive and how you look after the car.
- We can't see accident damage that wasn't reported, mechanical faults outside the MOT, or gaps in the service history.
We'd rather be clear about what we can't do than sound more certain than we are. Every report shows where its figures come from, which group they describe, and what we've assumed.
MOT Wise is run by MOTWISE LTD, a company registered in England and Wales (company number 17236380). Registered office: 66 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4NA. Email hello@motwise.co.uk. If you think a report is wrong, our contact page explains what we can fix and how to get an MOT record corrected.
Put it into practice
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