The short answer
Across every gated model first used 2012-2015, about 1 in 75 first tests carried out in 2021 to 2025 failed with at least one steering item (1.3% of 44,395,361 tests). On the ten models in the table the share was between about 1 in 17 and about 1 in 21. That is still a small share of all tests, but it is a long way above the national figure, and steering is the one area where a worn part is a safety item rather than a nuisance.
The items behind these figures are mostly worn ball joints and track rod ends, split or missing rack gaiters, power steering leaks and warning lamps. Most show up as advisories in the MOT history a year or two before they become a fail. If you own or are viewing one of these models, read the steering lines on the history first and ask for the car to be checked on a ramp before the test, not after.
The table and how to read it
The ranking is by the share of all first tests on each model that failed with a steering item, pooled across test years 2021 to 2025. The second column is the share of that model's fails that involved steering; it describes what the fails were made of, not how often the model failed, so it is shown for context only. The years column says how many of the four first-used years had enough tests to count.
| Model (first used 2012-2015) | Share of tests failing with a steering item | Share of fails involving steering | Years in the data |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hyundai Veloster | 5.8% | 18.4% | 2 |
| Kia Venga | 5.6% | 24.5% | 4 |
| Nissan Juke | 5.5% | 18.0% | 4 |
| Hyundai i30 | 5.4% | 18.6% | 4 |
| Hyundai ix20 | 5.2% | 20.2% | 4 |
| Renault Megane | 5.1% | 13.8% | 4 |
| Kia Ceed | 5.0% | 17.9% | 4 |
| Renault Grand Scenic | 4.9% | 13.8% | 4 |
| Vauxhall Adam | 4.7% | 18.1% | 3 |
| Jeep Renegade | 4.7% | 19.3% | 1 |
| All gated models first used 2012-2015 | 1.3% | 5.7% | - |
Two rows deserve care. The Hyundai Veloster leads the table on two first-used years and 11,843 tests, a small base beside the Nissan Juke's 680,084. The Jeep Renegade sits on a single year. A model on four well-populated years tells you more about the fleet than a model on one or two. The Kia Venga is the row worth a second look for a different reason: it failed 29.6% of its first tests overall, almost exactly the national 28.9%, yet steering featured in 24.5% of those fails. Its overall record is ordinary; the make-up of its fails is not. The Renault Megane is the opposite case: it failed 44.0% of first tests overall, the highest in the table, but steering was in only 13.8% of those fails.
What a steering item usually is
The DVSA inspection manual splits steering into a handful of checks, and the same few items account for most of the fails. In the manual's own terms, as read on GOV.UK today:
- Ball joints and track rod ends. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play is a major defect, which fails the test. One worn to the point where there is a serious risk of it coming apart is dangerous. Track rod ends seriously misaligned are major.
- Rack gaiters and dust covers. Damaged or deteriorated is a minor, which passes with a note. Missing, or no longer keeping dirt out, is a major. This is the item most often seen as an advisory a year before it fails.
- Power steering. Fluid below the minimum mark is minor. An empty reservoir, a leak from a failed seal or joint, or assistance that does not work is major. On cars with electric assistance, a warning lamp showing a malfunction is major.
- Free play and looseness. Excessive free play measured at the rim of the wheel is major, as is movement between the steering wheel and the column.
Nothing in the data says why these items appear more often on some fleets than others; the test records what was found, not what caused it.
What to check before a test or a viewing
- The history first. Use the free GOV.UK MOT history service and look for the words ball joint, track rod end, gaiter, steering rack or power steering in the advisories. An advisory that appears two years running and then vanishes without a repair bill to match is a question for the seller.
- Listen on full lock. With the engine running and the car stationary, turn the wheel slowly from one lock to the other. A whine that rises with the turn, a groan at the ends, or a wheel heavier one way than the other are worth a ramp check.
- Feel for play. With the engine off, rock the wheel gently a little either way. Movement before the front wheels respond is the free play the manual measures.
- Look at the gaiters. The rubber bellows at each end of the steering rack, visible from under the front of the car, should be whole and dry. Splits are the minor that becomes a major.
- Check under the bonnet. On a car with hydraulic assistance, the reservoir level sits between its marks and the area around it is dry. On a car with electric assistance, no steering warning lamp stays lit after the engine starts.
- Ask for the car on a ramp. A garage can check every item above in a few minutes with the front wheels off the ground. Before the test, that is a small bill; after a fail, it is the same bill plus a retest.
What this does not mean
The table describes how fleets of cars tested, not how any one car will fare. A well-kept example of a model near the top of the list can pass cleanly for years; a neglected example of a model nowhere near it can fail on a worn ball joint tomorrow. It does not say that any of these models is badly built, and the MOT data cannot say that, because it records what was found and never why. It pools tests from 2021 to 2025, when the youngest of these cars were six and the oldest thirteen.
It also does not tell you how serious each item was. Some are a split gaiter noticed at a glance, a few are the dangerous category that keeps a car off the road until repaired. The MOT history of a particular car, read line by line, tells you more about that car than any table.
Frequently asked questions
Nationally about 1 in 75 first tests on cars of this age failed with a steering item, so about 1 in 17 to 1 in 21 is a long way above the usual rate. In absolute terms it is still a small share of tests, and the overall fail rate on most of these models is within a few points of the national figure. The table says which fleets record steering items most often, not that steering is the main reason they fail.
The first column is the share of all tests on the model that failed with a steering item; that is the one to compare between models. The second is the share of the model's fails that involved steering, which describes what the fails were made of. A model that rarely fails but does so on steering when it does would show a high second column and a low first one, which is why only the first is used to rank.
Not automatically. An advisory is the tester's note that an item is wearing but still within limits. A split rack gaiter is a minor until it no longer keeps dirt out, and a ball joint with slight play is advisory until the play is excessive. The pattern in the history matters more than any single line: the same item recorded two or three years running is wear that has not been dealt with.
The table is not advice about any model. It says which fleets recorded steering items most often at this age and how many tests sit behind each figure. For a particular car, read its MOT history, do the checks above, and have a garage look at it on a ramp. A single car's record and condition tell you more than a fleet average.
Sources and method
Models first used 2012-2015 with 500 or more class 4 first tests per first-used year, ordered by the share of all first tests (2021-2025 pooled) that failed with at least one item in the steering family. The share of fails is the same count divided by the model's fails and is shown for context only. The national row covers every gated model in the cohort, including van-like model names: 44,395,361 tests, 10,217,526 fails, 582,644 failing with a steering item. Van, pickup and motorhome model names are excluded from the ranked rows; passenger people carriers are kept. Model bases (first tests): Hyundai Veloster 11,843; Kia Venga 111,315; Nissan Juke 680,084; Hyundai i30 216,183; Hyundai ix20 68,542; Renault Megane 152,269; Kia Ceed 227,847; Renault Grand Scenic 27,369; Vauxhall Adam 159,221; Jeep Renegade 29,573. Inspection manual wording from the GOV.UK page as read on 5 November 2026.
- DVSA anonymised MOT results, class 4 first tests, 2021-2025
- GOV.UK: MOT inspection manual, section 2, steering
- GOV.UK: Check the MOT history of a vehicle
About these figures. Figures are computed by SortedCars from the DVSA anonymised MOT results dataset (class 4, first tests only, test years 2021-2025), published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Pass rate = passes divided by first tests, with pass-after-rectification counted as a fail. No figure is shown for any group with fewer than 500 tests. Test class 4 only, first tests only; retests are excluded. Pass rates describe fleets, not individual machines: they reflect how cars were driven, maintained and used as well as how they were built, and beyond recorded mileage none of that is in the data. A well-kept example of a model with a weak average can still pass; a neglected example of a strong one can still fail. Alias spellings of a make are counted under one make name and all trims of a model under one model name, using SortedCars' grouping tables.
This article is general information drawn from published test records. It is not professional, mechanical or legal advice, and an MOT pass or a clean MOT history does not guarantee that a car is roadworthy today. If you are unsure about a car, have it inspected by a qualified mechanic. You can check any vehicle's MOT history free on the official GOV.UK MOT history service.
Check a car's MOT history free
Enter a registration to see its DVLA record and full MOT history, free, no sign-in.