UK 'among worst for MoT failure'

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The UK has one of the worst car MoT records in Europe, with more than 20% of vehicles failing their first test, new figures show.

Some 21.6% of three-year-old vehicles in the UK didn't pass the MoT in 2007, figures obtained by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) Trust revealed.

The trust said this compares badly with many European countries - some of which test cars for the first time after four years rather than the UK minimum of three.

France, for example, had a 5.61% failure rate, while Switzerland had 17.5% and Norway 19.9%. Spain, at 32%, has a much higher rate.

Germany, where cars have to take an MoT test after three years, has a failure rate of just 4.8% and France 5.61%. At the other end of the scale, Spain has a much higher 32% failure rate.

The level of first MoT failure raises concern about the safety of cars on British roads, which could lead to a hike in car insurance costs or some drivers' cover being invalid.

The IAM Trust, which obtained the UK figures under the Freedom of Information Act, said lighting and signalling problems were the chief cause of British failures, followed by tyres, wheels and problems associated with drivers' views, such as cracked windscreens.

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