Does the Morris Minor fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?
The Morris Minor records 33.29 brakes failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 20.15 expected for a car of the same age mix: more than expected for its class and age (+13.14, 95% interval +12.25 to +14.03). It ranks 41 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 Morris Minor by registration
What exactly fails on brakes?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Morris Minor is “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.”, recorded 1,322 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | 1,322 | 8.20 |
| Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake | 832 | 5.16 |
| Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement | 638 | 3.96 |
| Service brake efficiency below minimum requirement | 313 | 1.94 |
| 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. | 291 | 1.80 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 16,127 (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 Morris Minor gets a brakes advisory, how often does it fail next time?
18.2% of Morris Minor MOTs with a brakes advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.5 months and 177 miles later (691 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 691 (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
Morris Minor by postcode area · Morris Minor body, chassis and structure failures · Morris Minor vehicle identification failures · Morris Minor lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Morris Minor noise, emissions and leaks failures · Morris Minor seat belts and airbags failures · Morris Minor steering failures · Morris Minor suspension failures · Morris Minor tyres failures · Morris Minor visibility failures