An MOT test is rarely something to look forward to. It comes with the constant fear of failure and the potential costly bills which follow.

Figures show that in 2023 a total of 43,678,099 vehicle MOT tests were carried out in Great Britain. But of these 9,873,386 (22.6%) resulted in a failure.

However many of these could have been avoided as they were because of things which could have been corrected easily before heading for the test. Now experts are advising of some easy checks that can be made to reduce the chance of failure as well as save you money.

Research by Go.Compare car insurance using a combination of survey data and official DVSA testing figures estimated how many MOTs are needlessly failed. And it was found the number of ‘easily avoidable’ MOT failures has risen by 133,000 over the last four years.

Whether this is because people are less prepared when taking their cars to get tested compared to recent years is unclear but it does mean they are losing millions as a result. Drivers are now being urged to perform a few simple checks before their vehicle’s MOT for the peak testing month of March.

The study found in the last financial year, there were 2.59 million failures caused by parts which drivers could have checked and resolved in advance. In comparison, the 2019/20 financial year saw around 2.4 million failures caused by the same type of defects, indicating a gradual increase.

It also found that about one out of every 10 motorists miss the window for a free retest when their car fails, meaning they have to pay for a second test. Based on the maximum MOT cost of £54.85, this means that the annual amount lost to avoidable retests might have increased by £770,000 over the last four years.

Go.Compare found that roughly 1.4 million failures were due to issues with lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment. About 710,000 were because of problems with the vehicle’s tyres and another 461,000 falling under the visibility category which includes the windscreen and wipers.

Yet, each of these parts can easily be checked and sorted out before the MOT to prevent a failure. Eric Smith, MOT scheme manager at Kwik Fit, which carries out the most MOTs in the country, says there are a few things that can catch out drivers when getting their car tested.

Parking stickers from days out or music festivals can lead to a failure while messy vehicles can do the same amid concerns a piece of rubbish rolls under the pedals. Eric adds: “While the MOT is a vital annual safety check, drivers shouldn’t leave it up to the MOT tester to make sure their car is roadworthy.

“Many common MOT failure items are easy to spot at home, and we encourage car owners to not only carry out checks before their MOT, but to get into the habit of making them regularly throughout the year. That way, as well as avoiding an unnecessary MOT failure, drivers will be keeping their car safer all year round.

“In addition, if the car undergoes an annual service, many potential MOT failures would be picked up during that, saving drivers the hassle of an MOT failure and retesting.”

The study discovered “lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment” was the most common defect category for failures over the last year. A quarter of failures involved issues with these parts.

The second most common factor was issues with the vehicle’s suspension, which contributed to just under a fifth of all failures. Problems with brakes was a factor in 16% of all failures.

Tom Banks, car insurance expert at Go.Compare, says: “Taking your car to get its MOT done can be a nerve-wracking experience, so it’s important that you prepare for it properly to avoid incurring any needless extra costs. Our research shows that millions are lost every year just because drivers fail to do a few simple checks before the test, so make sure you don’t make the same mistake.

“Check that all the bulbs are working properly and replace any that you need to, then measure the tyre pressure and take a look at the tread depth to see if it meets the minimum requirements. You should also look for damage to the car’s windscreen and wipers, before testing the washers. Remove any parking stickers, like those from festivals, from the windscreen too.

“Remember, your car won’t be road legal if it fails its MOT, meaning your insurance will become invalid as well. If it fails, you’ll need to get the issues rectified before you can drive it again.” More information on preventing avoidable MOT failures can be found on Go.Compare’s website.