Tyres: has ply or cords exposed
This one item accounted for 0.8% of every MOT test carried out in Great Britain, and it is among the commonest faults on 535 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
Check all four tyre tread depths (legal minimum 1.6mm) — a 20p coin makes a quick gauge
Insert a 20p into the groove: if the coin's outer band is visible, the tread is near the limit. Worn tyres are an MOT failure and a safety risk; a set can be £300–600.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Tesla Model 3 Performance Awd | 2018–2021 | 7.4% |
| Tesla Model X | 2014–2017 | 5.9% |
| Tesla Model 3 Long Range Awd | 2018–2021 | 5.4% |
| SEAT Alhambra | 2010–2013 | 4.4% |
| Ford Focus St | 2018–2021 | 4.3% |
| BMW M4 | 2018–2021 | 4.2% |
| Volvo V50 | 2010–2013 | 4.1% |
| Volkswagen E-Golf | 2018–2021 | 4% |
| Fiat Fiorino | 2014–2017 | 4% |
| Volkswagen Touran | 2010–2013 | 3.9% |
| Renault Clio Iconic Tce | 2018–2021 | 3.9% |
| Citroen Nemo | 2014–2017 | 3.9% |
| BMW M4 | 2014–2017 | 3.8% |
| Ford Grand C-Max | 2010–2013 | 3.7% |
| Alfa Romeo Giulia | 2014–2017 | 3.7% |
| SEAT Alhambra | 2014–2017 | 3.6% |
| Peugeot Bipper | 2014–2017 | 3.6% |
| Volvo S40 | 2010–2013 | 3.6% |
| Volkswagen Passat | 2010–2013 | 3.5% |
| Fiat Qubo | 2010–2013 | 3.5% |
Showing the worst 20 of 535 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.
- 2% Volvo
- 1.7% Ford
- 1.7% BMW
- 1.7% Volkswagen
- 1.7% Fiat
- 1.7% Mercedes-Benz
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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.