The picture
Mirage: above-average pass rates, with caveats
Across 11,817 MOT tests, the Mirage returns 84.2% first-time pass — above the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a torn suspension dust cover. Tyre tread under the limit and a defective wiper blade round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 40,289, which is the lens to read those failure rankings through. If you own one and the next test is close, the ranked list below is a sensible pre-test checklist.
Top ten reasons for rejection.
- 01
A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated
719 occurrences · 6.1% of tests
- 02
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
375 occurrences · 3.2% of tests
- 03
Wiper blade defective
273 occurrences · 2.3% of tests
- 04
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
245 occurrences · 2.1% of tests
- 05
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
191 occurrences · 1.6% of tests
- 06
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
171 occurrences · 1.4% of tests
- 07
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
162 occurrences · 1.4% of tests
- 08
A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc
107 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
- 09
Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
95 occurrences · 0.8% of tests
- 10
A tyre cords visible or damaged
91 occurrences · 0.8% of tests
Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.
Worst-case fix budget · top 5 failures
£260–£585
If every one of this Mirage's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →
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Build your own retest budget.
Tools that pre-empt a retest.
Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.
Item 01 · Amazon UK
Digital tyre-tread depth gauge
Five quid for a gauge beats £150 for a retest. UK MOT minimum is 1.6mm — most testers fail anything below 2mm to be safe.
Search Amazon UK
Item 02 · Amazon UK
Bosch Aerotwin wiper blades
Cheap wipers fail the test on smear streaks. Bosch Aerotwins last a winter and clear a screen properly.
Search Amazon UK
Item 03 · Amazon UK
Brake pad measurement gauge
Testers fail pads under 1.5mm. A wear gauge tells you if you've got two months left or two weeks.
Search Amazon UK
Buying or keeping a Mirage?
Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.
If you own a Mirage and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.