Caterham Unclassified MOT Failures
An analysis of 6,252 real DVSA MOT tests on the Caterham Unclassified — what fails, how often, and how that compares to every other car on UK roads.
Where the Caterham Unclassified fails its MOT
The single biggest MOT failure point on the Caterham Unclassified is steering rack wear — this model is 82 times more likely to fail on this item than the average car on UK roads. That makes it a major concern for anyone buying or owning this model. Across 6,252 MOT tests, 3.07% of all Caterham Unclassified tests recorded this as a failure.
Steering faults include worn track rod ends, power steering leaks, and rack wear. These are safety-critical — any play in the steering should be investigated immediately.
Other notable weak points include emissions failure (77x the fleet average), reversing lamp inoperative (40x the fleet average), anti-roll bar links worn (27x the fleet average), and obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or... (14x the fleet average). These ratios compare the Caterham Unclassified's failure rate on each item against the national average for all cars tested — a ratio of 10x means this model fails ten times more often than a typical car.
The failures span 4 categories: Steering, Exhaust & Emissions, Lights & Electrics, Suspension. If you're inspecting a Caterham Unclassified before purchase, these are the areas to focus on — and if any have been flagged as advisories on a previous MOT, they're likely to become failures in the near future.
What to check before buying a Caterham Unclassified
Based on the MOT failure data and known issues above, here's what to prioritise when inspecting a Caterham Unclassified:
Steering — check for steering rack wear. Exhaust & Emissions — check for emissions failure. Lights & Electrics — check for reversing lamp inoperative, obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or.... Suspension — check for anti-roll bar links worn, suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated.
Always check the car's full MOT history for patterns — recurring advisories often become failures within 12 months. Enter any reg into our free car check to see the complete picture.
Looking at a specific Caterham Unclassified?
Enter the reg to see its full MOT history, mileage records, write-off status, and finance checks.
Caterham Unclassified MOT FAQs
What are the most common MOT failures on a Caterham Unclassified?
Based on 6,252 DVSA MOT tests, the most common failure is steering rack wear — at 82x the national fleet average. Other frequent failures include emissions failure and reversing lamp inoperative.
Is the Caterham Unclassified reliable based on MOT data?
The Caterham Unclassified has 6 categories where it fails more often than average. The main concern is steering rack wear. Always check a specific car's full history before buying.
What MOT failures should I expect at high mileage?
The most common high-mileage failures include steering rack wear, emissions failure, reversing lamp inoperative.
How do I check a Caterham Unclassified's MOT history?
Enter the registration number into our free car check above. You'll see every MOT test result, advisories and failures, mileage readings, write-off status, and finance checks.
MOT failure data sourced from DVSA bulk test records via data.gov.uk. Ratios compare this model's failure rate against the national fleet average. Known issues sourced from manufacturer bulletins, specialist workshops, and verified owner reports.