Dundee the worst city in UK for unroadworthy cars

Scotland is among the worst areas of the UK for unroadworthy vehicles, new figures have revealed.

A study of MoT failure rates on behalf of the AA revealed that seven of the 20 worst-performing cities were north of the border, with Dundee holding the dubious honour of having the highest failure rate in the UK.

In contrast, the south-east of England was a shining bastion of cared-for cars, accounting for 18 of the 20 cities with the highest pass rates.

The study by Automyze, the AA’s car management website, analysed more than one million MOT records of UK registered vehicles owned by AA members, looking at pass and fail rates.

It found that more than half of cars in Dundee (53.5 per cent) failed their last MOT - most for preventable faults such as tyres, headlights and indicators. In contrast, the Isle of Man saw a commendable 71.8 per cent pass rate.

Aberdeen and Perth joined the City of Discovery in the pits with failure rates of 49.5 and 49.2 respectively. And Edinburgh fared little better, with 47.4 per cent of vehicles being flagged as unroadworthy. Inverness (47.2 per cent) and Glasgow (46.5 per cent) rounded out Scotland’s roll call of shame.

Lucy Burnford, director of Automyze, said: “There could be a number of reasons why MOT failure rates are higher in Dundee, from the length of time people own their cars to the types of vehicle they own.

“However, some basic checks could bring failure rates down and save both time and money. There are multiple reasons why vehicles fail their MOT but the most common are tyres, headlights and indicators, which can be so easily fixed before the statutory roadworthiness test.

“Ahead of your vehicle’s MOT, it’s always worth doing some simple checks yourself to ensure anything straightforward like filling up the screen wash can be fixed in advance of your test. Also, make sure you have addressed any previous ‘advisories’ – that’s the maintenance work recommended by the garage during its last MOT. You can check your car’s MOT history and advisories for free using Automyze, and get free quotes to get the work done.”