Does the Skoda Rapid fail the MOT on steering more than it should?

The Skoda Rapid records 0.54 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 1.32 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−0.78, 95% interval −0.84 to −0.71). It ranks 334 of 640 models on steering (1 = most failures above expected).

Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on steering · check a Skoda Rapid by registration

What exactly fails on steering?

The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Skoda Rapid is “A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play”, recorded 265 times in 2019–2024.

Skoda Rapid: most frequent steering defect wordings, 2019–2024 (30+ items each)
DVSA defect wording	Items	Per 100 tests
A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play	265	0.20
Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated	162	0.12
Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc	147	0.11
Free play in the steering, measured at the rim of the steering wheel is excessive	55	0.04

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 131,764 (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

Does the Skoda Rapid fail the MOT on steering more than it should?

What exactly fails on steering?

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