MOT advisories explained — do you have to fix them?
Your car passed, but the certificate has a list of advisories underneath. Here's what each defect category means, whether you're obliged to do anything, and which advisories deserve attention sooner rather than later.
The four MOT defect categories
Since 2018, testers grade every problem they find into one of four categories. Two of them fail the car; two of them don't. Knowing which is which takes most of the mystery out of your certificate:
- Dangerous — an immediate fail. A direct risk to safety, and it's illegal to drive the car away until it's fixed.
- Major — a fail. Serious enough that the car doesn't meet the standard and needs repairing before it can pass.
- Minor — a pass, with the defect noted. The car met the standard, but the tester found something not quite right.
- Advisory — a pass. The item works today, but it's worn and will need attention soon. Your mechanic's early warning.
So an advisory sits at the mildest end of the scale. Nothing about it stops you driving, and nothing about it invalidates your MOT. The question is what you do with the warning.
So — do you have to fix advisories?
Legally, no. There's no law that says an advisory must be repaired, and no deadline attached. Your certificate is just as valid with ten advisories as with none.
Practically, there are two good reasons not to ignore them. First, almost every advisory is a wear item partway through its life — and wear only travels one way, so advisories commonly become failures at the next test or a breakdown well before it. Second, they're a matter of public record: if a flagged fault later contributes to an accident, an insurer can argue you knowingly drove with a defect. That word "knowingly" can make an awkward conversation of a claim.
Which advisories to take seriously
Not all advisories carry the same weight. These are the ones we'd want looked at soonest:
- Tyres wearing — tread falls with every mile, so a "close to the limit" advisory has a built-in expiry date, and the clearest safety consequence.
- Brake pads or discs wearing — they only get thinner, and worn pads left too long start damaging the discs, turning a modest job into a bigger one.
- Play in suspension components — worn bushes and joints get looser over time and affect handling and tyre wear.
- Corrosion — surface rust on brake pipes or structural areas spreads. Caught early it's often treatable; caught late it gets expensive.
- Oil leaks — a small weep noted as an advisory can become a running loss that affects other components.
How to check your advisories
You don't need the paper certificate to hand — every advisory is on the official record. Our free MOT checker shows your full test history, including advisories, in seconds. Then you can decide what's worth sorting now and what can wait — and we're happy to take a look and give you an honest steer.
Common questions
Does an advisory mean my car failed its MOT?
No. An advisory means your car passed — the tester simply noted an item that's worn and will need attention soon. Only Dangerous and Major defects fail the test.
Am I legally required to fix MOT advisories?
No, there's no legal requirement to fix an advisory, and your certificate is valid either way. That said, most advisories are wear items — tyres, brake pads, suspension bushes — and they only get worse, so many become failures at the next test.
Do advisories stay on my car's record?
Yes — advisories stay on the public MOT record permanently, alongside every pass and fail. Anyone can look them up by registration, which is exactly why checking the MOT history is such a useful step before buying a used car.
Can advisories affect my insurance?
They can. If a fault flagged as an advisory later contributes to an accident, an insurer can argue you knowingly drove with a defect, which may complicate a claim. It's another good reason not to sit on advisories relating to brakes, tyres or steering.
Will my advisories fail next year's MOT?
Very often, yes. An advisory is the tester telling you an item is on its way out — tyres keep wearing, pads keep thinning, play in suspension parts gets worse. Ignoring advisories commonly turns them into failures, or into a breakdown before the test even comes round.
How do I see the advisories on a car I'm thinking of buying?
Use our free MOT check — enter the registration and you'll see the car's full test history, including every advisory ever recorded, straight from DVSA data. A pattern of ignored advisories tells you a lot about how a car has been looked after.
Got advisories to sort?
We'll take care of worn tyres, brakes and suspension at your home or workplace across Gloucestershire — open 24/7, no callout fee within 5 miles.
More advice: The 10 most common MOT failures · Can you drive with an expired MOT? · Free MOT check