The PA postcode area, which includes Paisley and parts of Renfrewshire, had the 10th highest rate of dangerous MOT defects in Britain once vehicle age was taken into account, according to research by CarCostCheck.
Its analysis of 2025 MOT records found an age-adjusted dangerous defect rate of 9.3%, compared with 7.3% nationally.
The figures cover the wider PA postcode area. They are based on where vehicles were tested, rather than where their owners live.
Before adjustment for vehicle age, 12,935 of the area’s 152,348 tests found at least one dangerous defect. That was 8.5% of tests.
The age adjustment allows comparisons between areas with different mixes of older and newer vehicles.
The PA area also ranked fifth highest among Britain’s 118 postcode areas for steering and suspension failures after vehicle age was taken into account.
Its adjusted steering failure rate was 3.3%, compared with 1.9% nationally. For suspension, the adjusted rate was 15.4%, against 9.0% nationally.
A fractured or broken coil spring was the most common single defect behind failures in the area. It was recorded in 7,291 tests, or 4.8% of all tests.
Other common defects included tyres with insufficient tread, windscreen wipers that did not clear effectively and excessively worn suspension ball joints.
CarCostCheck examined around 22 million defects recorded across 9.2 million failed MOT tests in Great Britain during 2025.
The study covered first-attempt tests on cars, light vans and other vehicles in the DVSA’s class 4 category. Retests were excluded.
| Fault category | Tests failing | Percentage of PA tests | PA rate adjusted for vehicle age | National rate | Rank out of 118 areas* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 18,777 | 12.33% | 15.45% | 8.96% | 5 |
| Brakes | 14,471 | 9.50% | 11.42% | 6.21% | 7 |
| Lights, reflectors and electrical equipment | 13,964 | 9.17% | 11.34% | 10.57% | 27 |
| Tyres | 9,868 | 6.48% | 6.68% | 6.23% | 39 |
| Visibility | 7,168 | 4.71% | 5.24% | 4.33% | 7 |
| Body, chassis and structure | 6,693 | 4.39% | 5.94% | 3.27% | 8 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 5,287 | 3.47% | 4.33% | 3.10% | 10 |
| Steering | 4,045 | 2.66% | 3.34% | 1.95% | 5 |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems, including airbags | 1,369 | 0.90% | 1.17% | 0.96% | 27 |
| Road wheels | 489 | 0.32% | 0.36% | 0.38% | 67 |
| Vehicle identification | 314 | 0.21% | 0.24% | 0.33% | 106 |
*Rankings use rates adjusted for vehicle age. Rank 1 is the highest failure rate. A test can fail in more than one category, so the percentages should not be added together.
| Rank | Fault | Classification | Tests failing | Percentage of PA tests | National percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fractured or broken coil spring | Major | 7,291 | 4.79% | 2.37% |
| 2 | Tyre tread below the required 1.6mm | Dangerous | 4,139 | 2.72% | 2.20% |
| 3 | Wipers not clearing the windscreen effectively | Major | 3,838 | 2.52% | 1.89% |
| 4 | Excessively worn suspension arm ball joint | Major | 3,164 | 2.08% | 1.42% |
| 5 | Brake pads less than 1.5mm thick | Dangerous | 2,929 | 1.92% | 1.77% |
| 6 | Excessively worn suspension arm pin or bush | Major | 2,701 | 1.77% | 1.22% |
| 7 | Parking brake efficiency below requirements | Major | 2,634 | 1.73% | 1.05% |
| 8 | Excessive play in a track rod end ball joint | Major | 2,627 | 1.72% | 1.05% |
| 9 | Position lamp not working | Major | 2,539 | 1.67% | 2.40% |
| 10 | Drive shaft joint protective boot split or insecure, allowing dirt to enter | Major | 2,442 | 1.60% | 1.36% |
Individual fault percentages are not adjusted for vehicle age. Figures cover 152,348 first-attempt MOT tests at test centres in the wider PA postcode area during 2025. They do not identify where vehicle owners live.
Source: CarCostCheck analysis of DVSA MOT data for 2025.
The full research is available on the CarCostCheck website.
The PA postcode area ranked 10th in Britain for dangerous MOT defects after vehicle age was considered. Steering and suspension failure rates were fifth highest.