Brake linings and pads: less than 1.5 mm thick
This one item accounted for 1.6% of every MOT test carried out in Great Britain, and it is among the commonest faults on 700 different model-and-year combinations. Here is where it clusters, and what it looks like on a car you are standing in front of.
How to spot it before you buy
On a clear, safe road brake firmly once from ~30 mph — feel for pulling or judder
Pulling to one side or a pulsing pedal means warped discs, a sticking caliper or uneven brakes (£150–500+).
The models it hits hardest
Ranked by how often the fault came up as a share of that model's own tests, not by raw count — a fault in 8% of a small model's tests says more about that model than one in 3% of the Fiesta's. A linked row has a page of its own.
| Model | Years | Share of its tests |
|---|---|---|
| Vauxhall Combo 2300 Sportive Td S/S | 2018–2021 | 8.7% |
| Kia Carens | 2014–2017 | 4.9% |
| Citroen C4 Grand Picasso | 2018–2021 | 4.9% |
| Nissan X-Trail | 2014–2017 | 4.8% |
| Ford Grand C-Max | 2014–2017 | 4.6% |
| Ford Grand C-Max | 2010–2013 | 4.6% |
| Citroen C4 Grand Picasso | 2014–2017 | 4.6% |
| Kia Carens | 2010–2013 | 4.6% |
| Citroen Dispatch 1000 En-Prise Bhdi Ss | 2018–2021 | 4.6% |
| Chevrolet Orlando | 2010–2013 | 4.5% |
| Nissan Qashqai | 2010–2013 | 4.4% |
| Hyundai I40 | 2014–2017 | 4.4% |
| Mercedes-Benz Citan | 2014–2017 | 4.4% |
| Vauxhall Vivaro 2900 Sportive S/S | 2018–2021 | 4.4% |
| Vauxhall Combo | 2018–2021 | 4.3% |
| Hyundai I40 | 2010–2013 | 4.3% |
| Nissan Elgrand | 2018–2021 | 4.3% |
| Infiniti Q50 | 2014–2017 | 4.3% |
| Renault Grand Scenic | 2010–2013 | 4.2% |
| Hyundai I800 | 2014–2017 | 4.2% |
Showing the worst 20 of 700 affected model-and-year combinations. The full dataset is downloadable below.
Which manufacturers it clusters on
Pooled across each make's whole range, so this is a fact about the brand rather than about one of its models. Makes with at least 50,000 tests.
Free · no account, no card
See whether the car you're looking at has this on record
Type the registration and you get that car's own MOT history — every advisory and every failure, including whether this one has already come up.
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023. Class 4 standard tests only. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.