Does the Tesla Model S fail the MOT on visibility more than it should?

The Tesla Model S records 5.72 visibility failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 5.50 expected for a ev of the same age mix: about as expected for its class and age (the difference is within its interval or under 0.5 items per 100 tests) (+0.22, 95% interval +0.01 to +0.43). It ranks 278 of 746 models on visibility (1 = most failures above expected).

Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on visibility · check a Tesla Model S by registration

What exactly fails on visibility?

The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Tesla Model S is “Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen”, recorded 807 times in 2019–2024.

Tesla Model S: most frequent visibility defect wordings, 2019–2024 (30+ items each)
DVSA defect wording	Items	Per 100 tests
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen	807	1.61
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view	773	1.55
Wiper blade defective	767	1.53
Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen	406	0.81

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 49,990 (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 Tesla Model S fail the MOT on visibility more than it should?

What exactly fails on visibility?

Related pages

Other pages for this model