MOT Advisories Explained: What to Fix and When

Written by Petro Olekhnovych, mobile mechanic in Aylesham, Kent

MOT advisories are notes the tester adds when a part is wearing but is not yet bad enough to fail. They do not stop your car passing. They are an early warning, so the sensible move is to get them checked and plan the repairs before they turn into a fail or a safety problem.

What an MOT advisory actually means

The DVSA’s MOT inspection manual sorts faults into three defect categories:

• Dangerous: “a direct and immediate risk to road safety”. The car fails.
• Major: defects that “may prejudice the safety of the vehicle”. The car fails.
• Minor: defects that “have no significant effect on the safety of the vehicle”. The car passes.

Advisories sit below all of these. The manual says a tester can record an advisory when “an item is not sufficiently deteriorated to justify rejection”. It also recommends telling the driver about items that are close to the point of failure.

So an advisory is the tester saying: this is fine today, but keep an eye on it.

GOV.UK describes it the same way. If your car passes, you “might also get a list of ‘minor’ or ‘advisory’ problems to monitor or fix later”.

Do you have to fix MOT advisories?

An advisory is not a fail, so the MOT itself does not force you to fix it. But that is not the whole story.

GOV.UK is clear that a vehicle must meet roadworthiness standards at all times, or you can be fined. A valid certificate does not change that. A part that was “close to the limit” in spring can wear past it by autumn. If that happens, the car is no longer roadworthy, even though the certificate is still valid.

That is why we suggest treating every advisory as a job to plan, not a job to ignore.

Which advisories to fix first

Not every advisory is equally urgent. A simple way to sort them:

Fix soon: anything to do with stopping, steering or grip. Advisories on brake pads, brake discs, brake pipes, tyres or steering parts can get worse quickly. If you notice any change in how the car brakes or steers, stop driving and get it checked. Our guide to brake pad warning signs covers what to listen and feel for.

Fix before winter or a long trip: wear items. Things like a tyre near the legal limit are worth sorting before wet, cold weather. For reference, the legal minimum tread depth for a car is 1.6mm across the central three-quarters of the tread, all the way around the tyre.

Monitor: light corrosion, minor leaks and similar notes. These may stay the same for a long time, but they should be looked at again at your next service.

If you are not sure how serious an advisory is, ask a mechanic to look at the part itself. The wording on the certificate is short, and it does not always tell you how much life is left.

How to check your past advisories

You can see your car’s MOT history free on GOV.UK with just the number plate. For tests in England, Scotland and Wales it shows what failed at each test and any parts with minor problems, plus the mileage recorded each time.

This is useful in two ways:

• It shows if the same advisory has appeared year after year, which usually means it is getting worse.
• If you are buying a used car, it shows how the previous owner dealt with advisories.

What advisory repairs cost and why it varies

We cannot give a fixed price for an advisory, because it depends on the part, your car’s make and model, and how much work it takes to reach.

What affects the cost:

• The part itself. Parts are charged on top of labour, and prices vary a lot between makes.
• Labour time. Some jobs take minutes, others need a lot of dismantling.
• Whether other parts need doing too. Brake pads and discs, for example, are sometimes replaced together. We will tell you what is needed before any work starts.

Our labour is £30-£50 per hour depending on the job, and we agree the price on WhatsApp before we start.

How we can help

We are a mobile mechanic based in Aylesham, so we come to your home or workplace across Canterbury, Dover, Deal, Sandwich, Folkestone and the surrounding villages. See the full list on our areas we cover page.

Send us a photo of your MOT advisories on WhatsApp. We can then:

• Replace brake pads and discs, and change filters and fluids that come up on an advisory.
• Come out and diagnose anything else on the list, then tell you honestly what it needs and how urgent it is.
• Do a pre-MOT check before your next test, so old advisories do not become new fails.

Frequently asked questions

Can I drive with MOT advisories?
Yes, an advisory does not make the car illegal. But your car must stay roadworthy all year, so get advisories checked rather than waiting a full year.

Do advisories show up on MOT history?
Yes. GOV.UK’s MOT history service shows failures and parts with minor problems for tests in England, Scotland and Wales, so buyers can see them too.

Is a minor defect the same as an advisory?
No. A minor defect is an official defect category in the inspection manual. An advisory is a note on a part that is not yet bad enough to be a defect. Both allow the car to pass.

Will the same advisory fail next year?
It might. If the part keeps wearing, it can move into the major category. See our guide to common MOT failures for the usual culprits.

Need help? Send a WhatsApp to 07563 350335 with your car’s make and model and we’ll come to you.

Sources

• GOV.UK: MOT test result
• GOV.UK: MOT inspection manual, introduction
• GOV.UK: MOT inspection manual, axles, wheels, tyres and suspension
• GOV.UK: Check the MOT history of a vehicle
• GOV.UK: Retest after a repair