Emissions causing spike in failed MOTs

Almost 1.3 million vehicles failed MOT tests last year because of faults relating to exhaust emissions.

According to a Freedom of Information request to the DVSA by BookMyGarage, diesel vehicles saw the greatest surge in failures due to emissions, with a huge rise of 240% compared to just 37% for petrol vehicles.

Overall failures last year were up by more than 70% compared to 2017/18 levels, when new emissions regulations were introduced.

Jessica Potts, head of marketing, said: “The regulations have mostly impacted diesel cars, causing more than triple the number to fail, compared to petrol car failures which have only increased by a third.”

DVSA also introduced new fault categories, with ‘Major’ or ‘Dangerous’ faults resulting in a failed test. Almost all petrol emissions failures were classed as ‘Major’ last year. By comparison, around five per cent of all diesel emissions failures were classed as ‘Dangerous’, meaning the car should not be driven until the fault is rectified.

Potts said: “What this data tells us is that an increasing number of relatively modern diesels are struggling to pass the MOT test as their emissions control systems face tougher scrutiny. It’s important these systems function correctly to protect the environment, but putting them right can also cost owners thousands of pounds.”