What we found
Tyres are where electric cars go wrong
We looked at every MOT in 2025 on cars aged 3 to 5. Electric cars failed slightly more often than petrol cars overall, and the whole gap came from tyres.
Take the tyres away and electric cars do well. Their brakes, for example, hardly ever fail.
And it isn't just because they do more miles. We compared cars of the same age and mileage, and the gap was still there.
Why it happens
Heavy, quick and quiet on the brakes
They're heavy
The battery makes an electric car heavier than a petrol car of the same size. More weight means more wear on the tyres.
They're quick off the mark
An electric motor gives full power the moment you press the pedal. That scrubs rubber off the tyres every time you pull away.
Their brakes get an easy life
Most of the time the motor slows the car down, not the brakes. That's why brake fails are rare on electric cars.
Our data shows what failed, not why. These are the usual explanations.
All 39 models
Is yours one of the worst?
Teslas and BMWs top the list. The Tesla Model 3, the most common electric car in our data, fails on tyres 2.5× as often as a petrol car.
| Rank | Car | Failed on tyres |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tesla Model X | 13.4% |
| 2 | BMW i4 | 12.6% |
| 3 | Tesla Model Y | 12.2% |
| 4 | Mercedes-Benz EQC | 11.9% |
| 5 | Tesla Model 3 | 11.2% |
| 6 | BMW iX3 | 9.8% |
| 7 | BMW iX | 9.4% |
| 8 | Audi Q4 e-tron | 9.4% |
| 9 | Polestar 2 | 9.1% |
| 10 | Volkswagen e-Golf | 8.2% |
| 11 | Vauxhall Corsa-e | 7.7% |
| 12 | Peugeot e-208 | 7.7% |
| 13 | Renault Zoe | 7.6% |
| 14 | Volkswagen ID.4 | 7.6% |
| 15 | Skoda Enyaq | 7.5% |
| 16 | Mini Electric | 7.3% |
| 17 | Audi e-tron GT | 7.1% |
| 18 | Mercedes-Benz EQA | 7.0% |
| 19 | Audi e-tron | 6.9% |
| 20 | Volkswagen ID.3 | 6.9% |
| 21 | Porsche Taycan | 6.9% |
| 22 | Cupra Born | 6.8% |
| 23 | Hyundai Kona Electric | 6.4% |
| 24 | Kia e-Niro | 6.4% |
| 25 | Kia Soul EV | 6.3% |
| 26 | Seat Mii Electric | 6.3% |
| 27 | MG ZS EV | 6.2% |
| 28 | MG MG5 EV | 6.2% |
| 29 | Nissan Leaf | 5.9% |
| 30 | MG MG4 | 5.2% |
| 31 | Peugeot e-2008 | 5.1% |
| 32 | BMW i3 | 5.0% |
| 33 | Hyundai Ioniq Electric | 4.9% |
| 34 | Jaguar I-Pace | 4.5% |
| 35 | Vauxhall Mokka-e | 4.4% |
| 36 | Fiat 500e | 4.3% |
| 37 | Volkswagen e-up! | 4.0% |
| 38 | Hyundai Ioniq 5 | 4.0% |
| 39 | Kia EV6 | 3.8% |
For comparison, 4.5% of petrol cars the same age failed on tyres. Ranked 1 to 39, worst first. Models with at least 1,000 MOTs in 2025.
Before your MOT
Check your tyres in five minutes
These four checks cover the tyre faults that fail electric cars most. You can do them all on your driveway.
Look for deep cuts
This is the most common tyre fail on electric cars. Check the tread and both sides of every tyre, including the back ones.
Turn the wheel and check the inside edge
Turn the steering fully to one side and look at the inner edge of the front tyre, then do the other side. Tyres worn right through to the cords are a common fail, and the inside edge is easy to miss.
Check the tread with a 20p coin
Push a 20p into the main grooves in a few places. If you can see the outer band of the coin, the tread may be below the 1.6mm legal limit.
Check the warning light and look for bulges
If the tyre pressure warning light stays on, that alone is a fail. A bulge or lump in the side means the tyre is breaking up inside.
Want the full list, not just tyres? Try the 10-minute home check.
Questions
Electric car MOT questions
Do electric cars need an MOT?
Yes. In Great Britain an electric car needs its first MOT when it's 3 years old, then every year, the same as a petrol or diesel car.
Is the MOT different for an electric car?
It's the same test. The only part an electric car skips is the exhaust emissions check, because it has no exhaust.
How much does an MOT cost for an electric car?
The same as any car. The most a test centre can charge is £54.85, and many charge less.
Can any garage MOT an electric car?
Yes. Electric cars take the same MOT at the same test centres as petrol and diesel cars.
Does the MOT check tyre pressure?
The tester doesn't measure your pressures. But if your car has a tyre pressure warning light and it's on or faulty, that's a fail.
Is the spare tyre checked in an MOT?
No. Only the tyres fitted to the car are checked.
What tread depth do you need to pass?
At least 1.6mm across the middle three-quarters of the tyre, all the way round.
Do tyres have to match to pass?
Tyres on the same axle must be the same size. Different sizes on one axle is a fail.
Is your car due its MOT?
Type your plate to see when it's due and what to check first. Free, no sign-up.
How we worked it out
We used every 2025 MOT on a car aged 3 to 5 years: 4,359,393 tests. Vans and pick-ups are left out. A fail includes cars fixed and passed on the same visit, which is how DVSA counts the first result. Overall, 13.7% of electric cars failed, against 11.6% of petrol cars. On tyres alone it was 8% against 4.5%.
Use this data
Free to use with a credit and a link to this page. Download the full table (CSV). Questions from journalists: kickthetyres.uk@gmail.com.
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2025. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Kick the Tyres is not linked to DVSA. Which cars fail their first MOT?
Keep reading
More guides
- BuyingWhich used car should I buy?The best and worst models for repair bills, by size.
- AdvisoriesGot an MOT advisory?What it means, and which ones turn into fails.
- MOT oddsWill my car fail its MOT?Your odds by age and last year's result.
