Does the Vauxhall Ampera fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?
The Vauxhall Ampera records 8.54 brakes failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 8.66 expected for a car 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) (−0.12, 95% interval −0.79 to +0.56). It ranks 329 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 Vauxhall Ampera by registration
What exactly fails on brakes?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Vauxhall Ampera is “Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn”, recorded 102 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn | 102 | 1.40 |
| a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm | 95 | 1.30 |
| Excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution. | 68 | 0.93 |
| Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement | 63 | 0.86 |
| Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake | 58 | 0.80 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 7,294 (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 Vauxhall Ampera gets a brakes advisory, how often does it fail next time?
9.1% of Vauxhall Ampera MOTs with a brakes advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 7,060 miles later (1,362 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,362 (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
Vauxhall Ampera 2012 · Vauxhall Ampera 2013 · Vauxhall Ampera 2014 · Vauxhall Ampera 2015 · Vauxhall Ampera in Finland · Vauxhall Ampera in the Netherlands · Vauxhall Ampera by postcode area · Vauxhall Ampera body, chassis and structure failures · Vauxhall Ampera vehicle identification failures · Vauxhall Ampera lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Vauxhall Ampera noise, emissions and leaks failures · Vauxhall Ampera steering failures · Vauxhall Ampera suspension failures · Vauxhall Ampera tyres failures · Vauxhall Ampera visibility failures