An MOT advisory is a note from the tester about something on your car that didn't fail the test but may need attention soon - commonly worn tyres, thinning brake pads, a slight fluid leak or light corrosion. Your car still passes and stays road-legal, but the tester is telling you to keep an eye on it before it becomes a failure. You can check any UK car's advisories free, with no sign-up and no card, using the official DVSA data behind RegScan's vehicle check.

The part most drivers miss: if the same advisory shows up year after year, it usually means the problem is being ignored and slowly getting worse - and that's exactly the pattern RegScan flags automatically.

What an MOT advisory actually is

During an MOT, the tester records every defect they find against the official DVSA testing standards. An advisory sits at the mildest end of that scale: the component isn't bad enough to fail the test today, but it's worn or damaged enough to be worth noting. Think of it as an early warning, not a penalty.

Advisories are permanently recorded against the vehicle's registration in the DVSA MOT history - so anyone (including a used-car buyer) can look them up later. That public record is why advisories are useful well beyond the day of the test.

The four MOT fault categories explained

Since May 2018, MOT results in England, Scotland and Wales use a defect scale. From most to least serious:

  • Dangerous - a direct and immediate risk to road safety or the environment. It's an automatic fail, and you must not drive the car until it's repaired.
  • Major - could affect safety or the environment. Also an automatic fail; it must be fixed and the car re-tested.
  • Minor - a fault that should be repaired as soon as possible but doesn't fail the test. The car passes, with the minor noted.
  • Advisory - something to monitor and repair before it gets worse. The car passes.

So an advisory (and a minor) means a pass; dangerous and major mean a fail. An advisory is the tester saying "this is fine for now, but watch it."

Why the same advisory can appear year after year

This is the important bit. A one-off advisory is normal wear. But when the same advisory repeats across several MOTs - "nearside front tyre worn close to the legal limit" three years running, say - it almost always means one of two things:

  • the issue was never actually repaired and is steadily deteriorating, or
  • it's a recurring weak point on that particular car.

Either way, a recurring advisory is a stronger signal than a single one. Left long enough, most advisories eventually cross the line into a Major fault and fail the MOT - often at a worse time and a higher cost than if it had been dealt with early. For anyone buying a used car, a repeating advisory is also a useful clue about how well the vehicle has been maintained.

How RegScan flags recurring advisories automatically

Reading advisories one MOT at a time, you'd rarely spot that the same fault keeps returning. RegScan does it for you: it pulls the full MOT history from the DVSA, groups every advisory and failure by fault area (tyres, brakes, suspension, emissions and so on), and highlights the ones that appear at more than one test - with the years they were flagged.

That turns a long list of tester notes into a single, plain answer: "these specific problems keep coming back." It's free, needs no account, and uses the same official data the GOV.UK pages use. Check a vehicle to see its recurring advisories.

What to do about a recurring advisory

If a check turns up a repeating advisory:

  • Get it inspected before your next MOT, not on the day - booking a fail-and-retest is more expensive and more stressful.
  • Prioritise safety-critical areas - brakes, tyres, steering and suspension advisories are the ones most likely to become a Dangerous or Major fail.
  • If you're buying the car, use the recurring advisories as a negotiating point and a maintenance red flag - and ask the seller what work has actually been done.

An advisory is the cheapest warning you'll ever get about your car. A recurring one is the car telling you twice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does an MOT advisory mean my car failed?

No. An advisory means your car passed. It's a note about something to monitor and repair before it worsens. Only Dangerous and Major defects cause an MOT failure.

Do I have to fix an MOT advisory?

You're not legally required to fix an advisory immediately, and your car stays road-legal. But you should repair it before it deteriorates into a Major fault - and before your next MOT - especially for brakes, tyres, steering or suspension.

How serious are advisories on an MOT?

Individually, most advisories are minor and just need monitoring. They become serious when ignored: an untreated advisory often turns into a Major fault and an MOT failure. A recurring advisory - the same fault at several MOTs - is the clearest sign to act.

Why do I get the same MOT advisory every year?

Usually because the underlying fault was never fully repaired and is slowly getting worse, or it's a recurring weak point on that car. RegScan highlights advisories that repeat across multiple MOTs so you can spot the pattern at a glance.

Can I see a car's MOT advisories for free?

Yes. RegScan shows a vehicle's full MOT history and advisories free, with no sign-up and no card, using official DVSA data. Just enter the registration.