Does the Chevrolet Kalos fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?
The Chevrolet Kalos records 34.41 brakes failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 20.01 expected for a car of the same age mix: more than expected for its class and age (+14.40, 95% interval +13.73 to +15.08). It ranks 35 of 712 models on brakes (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on brakes · check a Chevrolet Kalos by registration
What exactly fails on brakes?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Chevrolet Kalos is “Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake”, recorded 2,328 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake | 2,328 | 8.06 |
| Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded | 1,733 | 6.00 |
| Warning device shows system malfunction | 1,490 | 5.16 |
| Brakes imbalance across an axle such that the braking effort from any wheel is less than 70% of the maximum effort recorded from the other wheel on the same axle. | 1,029 | 3.56 |
| a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm | 504 | 1.74 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 28,900 (initial tests) · Method: failure items (major and minor) grouped by DVSA's defect tree; wordings with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
If a Chevrolet Kalos gets a brakes advisory, how often does it fail next time?
25.6% of Chevrolet Kalos MOTs with a brakes advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 2,817 miles later (5,468 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 5,468 (advisories followed) · Method: the same vehicles followed to their next ordinary MOT · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
Other pages for this model
Chevrolet Kalos 2005 · Chevrolet Kalos 2006 · Chevrolet Kalos 2007 · Chevrolet Kalos 2008 · Chevrolet Kalos in Finland · Chevrolet Kalos in the Netherlands · Chevrolet Kalos by postcode area · Chevrolet Kalos body, chassis and structure failures · Chevrolet Kalos vehicle identification failures · Chevrolet Kalos lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Chevrolet Kalos noise, emissions and leaks failures · Chevrolet Kalos road wheels failures · Chevrolet Kalos seat belts and airbags failures · Chevrolet Kalos steering failures · Chevrolet Kalos suspension failures · Chevrolet Kalos tyres failures · Chevrolet Kalos visibility failures