MOT advisory: tyre slightly damaged, cracking or perishing
Rubber ages even when a car isn't driven much. Fine cracks appear in the sidewall or between the tread blocks, and small nicks from kerbs build up. The tester saw minor damage or cracking that wasn't bad enough to fail, so the car passed with this note.
What the tester wrote
| Result | Wording on the certificate | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Advisory | Condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing | Advisory (pass) |
| Fail | Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure | Dangerous |
What the MOT checks
The tester looks over each tyre for cuts, bulges, tears and exposed cords. Serious damage is a fail, and a tear caused by the structure separating is graded Dangerous. Surface cracking with no cords showing sits below that line, so it's noted as an advisory.
Tyres on cars that sit for long periods, or get parked in strong sun, tend to crack before the tread wears out.
Source: MOT inspection manual, section 5.2.3 Tyres. Read it on GOV.UK
How common it is
In 2025 this advisory was recorded on 8.8 in every 100 class 4 MOT tests (2,929,427 of 33,210,774 initial tests). The matching fail was recorded on 0.6 in every 100 (188,703 tests).
The typical car with the advisory was 10 years old with 61,127 miles recorded (medians).
| Age at test (years) | Advisory per 100 tests | Fail per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| 0-2 | 3.5 | 0.1 |
| 3 | 5.6 | 0.2 |
| 4-5 | 8.7 | 0.3 |
| 6-7 | 9.2 | 0.4 |
| 8-10 | 8.8 | 0.5 |
| 11-14 | 9.3 | 0.7 |
| 15-19 | 10.2 | 0.9 |
| 20+ | 9.9 | 0.8 |
'Not shown' means fewer than 1,000 tests in that cell, or a cell hidden so a small one can't be worked out. Age is years since first registration. First MOTs often happen just before a car's third birthday, so many show as age 2.
Does it turn into a fail at the next MOT?
We followed the same cars to their next MOT, 240 to 500 days later (2,548,615 pairs where this advisory was recorded). 2.0% failed on the same item at that next test, and another 29.2% had the same advisory again.
Among cars where this item wasn't noted at all, 0.45% failed on it next time. So a car with this advisory was about 4 times as likely to fail on this item as one without it, though the chance is still small.
These are averages. We can't see what owners did between tests. Some will have fixed the problem, and a fix would stop a fail.
What it usually means for a buyer
A low-mileage car can still need tyres. If the tread is deep but the sidewalls are cracked, the tyres may just be old.
Check the four-digit date code on the sidewall. The first two digits are the week and the last two are the year. Cracking on a tyre that's many years old is a good reason to plan new ones, whatever the tread depth. Ask about the spare too, as it's often the oldest tyre on the car.
Typical fix
Replace any tyre with deep cracks, a bulge or a cut that reaches the cords. Light surface crazing on an otherwise good tyre is often left and watched, which is what the advisory asks for. Prices vary a lot by car and garage, so get a quote for the specific car.
Questions to ask the seller
You can read any car's MOT history, including advisories, free on GOV.UK. Our MOT advisory decoder explains the other notes in plain English.
Related MOT advisories
- Tyre tread worn close to the legal limit
- Suspension arm pin or bush worn
- All MOT defects
- Buying a used car: a step-by-step guide
Sources and limitations
- Data: DVSA MOT anonymised test results and test items, class 4 initial tests, 2024 and 2025 (open data on GOV.UK). Same DVSA data as our MOT dataset.
- 'Fail' includes items fixed at the test centre within an hour (pass after rectification).
- An advisory is a tester's judgement on the day. Testers differ, and some problems are not visible at an MOT.
- The MOT is not a service and does not check the engine, clutch or gearbox in depth.
- Counts under 1,000 are not shown. No make or model figures are published here.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), MOT Anonymised Data. Analysis by CarCheckHQ. Not endorsed by DVSA.
Written by the CarCheckHQ team.