Aston Martin Vanquish MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 21 model years and 8,508 tests, the Aston Martin Vanquish passes its MOT 93.8% of the time. All cars of a similar age fail 19.1% of the time, so this is 12.9pp better than the group it competes with. Its most common failure areas are suspension, lighting & signalling and brakes.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — suspension (1.8%) and lighting & signalling (1.7%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are ball joint dust cover, headlamp aim and linkage ball joint dust cover — ball joint dust cover alone was recorded 165 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 5.3% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 15.6% once past 90-120k — 2.9× the risk.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 11.1% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is improving — the fail rate fell from 6.8% in 2021 to 5.2% in 2025, as the worst-kept examples leave the fleet.
How it compares
By model year
Every Vanquish model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 116 | 84.5% | 15.5% | Suspension |
| 2002 | 497 | 89.7% | 10.3% | Suspension |
| 2003 | 469 | 90.4% | 9.6% | Suspension |
| 2004 | 411 | 89.0% | 10.9% | Suspension |
| 2005 | 425 | 90.8% | 9.2% | Suspension |
| 2006 | 234 | 88.9% | 11.1% | Suspension |
| 2007 | 431 | 87.0% | 13.0% | Suspension |
| 2008 | 40 | 92.5% | 7.5% | Suspension |
| 2012 | 147 | 93.2% | 6.8% | Visibility |
| 2013 | 937 | 95.2% | 4.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 853 | 94.8% | 5.2% | Brakes |
| 2015 | 1,030 | 95.5% | 4.5% | Tyres |
| 2016 | 789 | 95.2% | 4.8% | Tyres |
| 2017 | 1,091 | 96.1% | 3.9% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 830 | 98.2% | 1.8% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 201 | 97.0% | 3.0% | Lighting & signalling |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 1.8% | 152 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 1.7% | 141 |
| 3 | Brakes | 1.4% | 121 |
| 4 | Tyres | 1.3% | 110 |
| 5 | Emissions & environmental | 1.0% | 85 |
| 6 | Visibility | 1.0% | 83 |
| 7 | Steering | 0.6% | 49 |
| 8 | Other defects | 0.5% | 44 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ball joint dust cover | 165 |
| 2 | Headlamp aim | 123 |
| 3 | Linkage ball joint dust cover | 92 |
| 4 | Registration plates | 66 |
| 5 | Rbt (sp) | 66 |
| 6 | Malfunction indicator lamp | 58 |
| 7 | Track rod end | 56 |
| 8 | Washers | 55 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 11.1% | 946 |
| 2 | Brakes | 3.5% | 298 |
| 3 | Suspension | 3.2% | 270 |
| 4 | Other defects | 1.5% | 127 |
| 5 | Visibility | 1.2% | 104 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 0.9% | 77 |
Failure rate by mileage
Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.
| Mileage band | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 6,363 | 5.3% |
| 30-60k | 1,970 | 8.8% |
| 60-90k | 142 | 9.2% |
| 90-120k | 32 | 15.6% |
Failure rate by age
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,738 | 6.8% |
| 2022 | 1,731 | 6.8% |
| 2023 | 1,745 | 6.5% |
| 2024 | 1,639 | 5.8% |
| 2025 | 1,655 | 5.2% |
What to check before buying a Aston Martin Vanquish
- Suspension (1.8% of tests): Worn drop links, bushes, springs or shocks — listen for knocks over bumps and check for uneven tyre wear. Typical repair: £150–£450 per corner.
- Lighting & signalling (1.7% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (1.4% of tests): Pads/discs are routine wear; binding, imbalance or corroded pipes are more serious — test for pulling under braking. Typical repair: £100–£350 per axle.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for the Aston Martin Vanquish?
93.8% of the 8,508 Aston Martin Vanquish MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 6.2% fail rate, across model years 2001–2021.
What does the Aston Martin Vanquish most often fail its MOT on?
Suspension, recorded in 1.8% of tests, then lighting & signalling (1.7%).
How much does mileage affect Vanquish MOT results?
Fail rates run at 5.3% for cars in the 0-30k band and 15.6% for 90-120k, a 10.3-point difference.
Methodology & source. Based on 8,508 MOT tests. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-27. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.