MOT advisory explained
“Wheel bearing slightly noisy”
A bearing that has started to make a noise has already started to wear out. The data agrees: this advisory turns into a failure more often than its better-known twin, slight play, and hardly anyone gets it a second time.
With the wheel off the ground the tester spun it by hand and heard or felt roughness from the bearing. It turns freely and has no excess movement, so it passes, but a healthy bearing is silent.
8.3% fail on the same bearing at the next test, against 5.8% for a bearing with slight play. Noise means the rolling surfaces inside are already pitted. That does not heal and it does not stay the same.
Fitted at an independent garage. The spread is mostly about design: a bolt-on hub unit is quick, a pressed-in bearing takes longer. No alignment is needed afterwards.
If the certificate says “wheel bearing has slight play” instead, that is a different finding with different odds. Play can sit unchanged for years. Noise rarely does.
A “wheel bearing slightly noisy” advisory means the tester heard or felt roughness when spinning a wheel by hand, but the bearing has no excess play and turns freely, so the car passes. A replacement costs £120–£300 per wheel fitted at an independent garage. According to DVSA MOT data analysed by PriceMyRepair, 8.3% of 642,068 such advisories followed to the next test failed on the same bearing, more than the 5.8% seen after a slight play advisory.
Why a noise is worse news than it sounds
What is inside. A wheel bearing is two rings with a row of hardened steel balls or rollers between them, packed with grease and sealed for life. When the seal lets water in or the grease breaks down, the polished surfaces pit. Pitted surfaces rumble. There is no adjustment and no repair, only replacement.
What you hear on the road. A low hum or drone that rises with speed and does not change with engine revs. The test is a long bend: the noise usually gets louder when the bad bearing is on the outside of the turn and carrying more weight, and quieter the other way.
What it gets mistaken for. Tyres. A set of worn or unevenly worn tyres makes almost the same drone, and many bearings are replaced for a noise the tyres were making. The difference is that tyre noise does not change from one side to the other in a bend. The MOT tester has the advantage here, because on the ramp the tyre is not touching anything.
Will it fail next year?
642,068 of these advisories can be followed to the same car’s next MOT. For a finding that sounds minor, the outcome is one of the harsher ones.
| What happened at the next test | Share |
|---|---|
| Failed on the same component | 8.3% |
| Same advisory recorded again | 12.5% |
According to DVSA MOT data analysed by PriceMyRepair: 642,068 advisories followed to the same vehicle’s next test. Rows can overlap.
Two numbers set this advisory apart. It fails next time more often than slight play in the same bearing, 8.3% against 5.8%. And only 12.5% are advised again, against 26.4% for play.
Put together, they describe a fault people cannot ignore. Play is silent, so it gets left and re-advised year after year. A noisy bearing gets louder every month, and by the next MOT most owners have either paid to have it changed or turned up with one bad enough to fail.
| Advisory wording | Fails on same part | Advised again | Followed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension arm ball joint has slight play | 16.0% | 17.3% | 2,285,155 |
| Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint has slight play | 10.0% | 17.1% | 2,098,185 |
| Shock absorbers has a slightly worn bush | 8.9% | 19.9% | 607,181 |
| Wheel bearing slightly noisy | 8.3% | 12.5% | 642,068 |
| Suspension arm pin or bush worn | 7.4% | 29.3% | 8,344,577 |
| Wheel bearing has slight play | 5.8% | 26.4% | 1,109,766 |
| Coil spring corroded | 5.0% | 39.1% | 4,780,118 |
Unlike most advisories, this one gets more dangerous to ignore as the car ages. The share that fail next time climbs steadily, from 4.8% at 3–4 years to 9.9% at 16–19 years, while the advisory itself becomes many times more common.
| Age of car | Per 1,000 tests | Fails on same part | Followed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3–4 years | 0.5 | 4.8% | 14,563 |
| 5–6 years | 1.1 | 5.6% | 34,341 |
| 7–9 years | 2.2 | 6.7% | 92,722 |
| 10–12 years | 4.4 | 7.9% | 147,772 |
| 13–15 years | 7.1 | 9.2% | 167,094 |
| 16–19 years | 9.1 | 9.9% | 128,646 |
| 20 years and over | 8.5 | 9.1% | 44,751 |
Usually months and several thousand miles, which is why most survive to the next test as an advisory or a repair and not a breakdown. The progression is slow at first and then quick: a faint hum for a long time, then a growl, then vibration through the floor or steering.
The growl is the point to stop putting it off. Past that, the bearing runs hot, can damage the hub and the ABS sensor beside it, and the job gets dearer.
A bearing that is left until it collapses can lock a wheel or let it wobble on the hub. That is rare and gives plenty of warning, but it is the reason this is a fix-soon advisory and not a watch.
Exact wording on your certificate
Noise and roughness sit under their own sub-section of the wheel bearing defect, separate from play. The failure wording is about how rough, not how loud.
| Line on the certificate | Result | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Wheel bearing slightly noisy | Advisory — pass | 5.1.3 (b) (i) |
| Wheel bearing excessively rough | Major — fail | 5.1.3 (b) (i) |
All four corners appear in almost equal shares, with the offside front slightly ahead. Bearings fail from water, potholes and kerb strikes, and those find every wheel.
| Position written by the tester | Share of all instances |
|---|---|
| Offside front | 27% |
| Nearside rear | 25% |
| Offside rear | 23% |
| Nearside front | 23% |
| Rear | 1% |
| Front | 1% |
From 1,418,843 recorded instances. Testers can add their own note after the standard wording. The most common on this advisory: “both” (8,808), “both sides” (5,830), “both rear” (2,644), “both front” (1,762), “both side” (872), “nearside and offside” (627), “and slight play” (589), “slightly rough” (330).
What a new bearing costs
| Job | Price fitted | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Wheel bearing or hub unit, one wheel | £120–£300 | Front and rear differ by model |
Fitted price at an independent garage. Bearings are replaced one at a time, not in pairs, unless the other side is also noisy. On cars where the ABS ring is part of the bearing, a cheap unbranded part can bring on a warning light, so ask what brand is being fitted. Prices by model are on the wheel bearing replacement cost page.
Can I still drive with this advisory?
Book it in within the next couple of months. Stop and have it checked straight away if the hum becomes a growl or a grinding, if you feel vibration through the steering wheel or floor, or if the ABS light comes on.
Enter your reg to see your car’s full MOT history. A bearing advised for play one year and noise the next is on its way out, and the record will show it.
Which cars get this advisory most?
On an average vehicle the advisory appears on 3.8 of every 1,000 tests. On these it is several times that.
| Model | Per 1,000 tests | Vs all cars | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Fusion | 19 | 5.1× | 717,369 |
| Peugeot 206 | 18 | 4.7× | 1,061,894 |
| Suzuki Alto | 15 | 3.9× | 556,815 |
| Peugeot 107 | 13 | 3.5× | 1,292,695 |
| Renault Master | 12 | 3.2× | 760,734 |
| Toyota Yaris | 12 | 3.1× | 4,619,042 |
| Vauxhall Movano | 11 | 3.0× | 544,309 |
| Nissan Note | 10 | 2.7× | 1,712,969 |
| Renault Clio | 10 | 2.6× | 4,086,721 |
| Citroen C1 | 10 | 2.5× | 1,686,560 |
Model families are grouped by the first word of the DVSA model name, so “Transit” covers every Transit variant. Only models with at least 60,000 tests are ranked.
It is a small-car list. The Ford Fusion leads at 5.1 times the average, followed by the Peugeot 206 and Suzuki Alto, and the Peugeot 107 and Citroen C1 twins are both here. Small, light cars use small bearings, and many of these models are now old enough for the original ones to be wearing out.
The two exceptions are the Renault Master and Vauxhall Movano, which are the same van under two badges and wear bearings through weight.
What to do next
- Confirm which wheel. The certificate should say. On the road, a long bend each way will usually confirm it.
- Rule out the tyres. If the tyres on that axle are worn unevenly, mention it. A good garage will check both before fitting a bearing.
- Get a price for your model. Press-in bearing or bolt-on hub makes a large difference to labour. The quote should say which.
- Do not wait for the MOT. This is one of the few advisories where the fault announces itself. When it gets louder, have it done.
Noisy wheel bearing advisory FAQ
What does wheel bearing slightly noisy mean on an MOT?
The tester spun the wheel by hand with the car raised and heard or felt roughness from the bearing. It has no excess play and turns freely, so it passes, but the bearing has begun to wear.
Will a slightly noisy wheel bearing fail the next MOT?
More often than most advisories. According to DVSA MOT data analysed by PriceMyRepair, 8.3% of 642,068 such advisories failed on the same bearing at the next test, compared with 5.8% after a slight play advisory.
How long can I drive on a noisy wheel bearing?
Usually months and several thousand miles while it is only a hum. Once it becomes a growl, or you feel vibration, have it replaced promptly. It will not get quieter.
How much does a wheel bearing cost to replace?
A wheel bearing costs £120–£300 per wheel fitted at an independent garage, depending on the model and on whether it is a press-in bearing or a complete hub. These are estimates and final quotes come from garages.
Is it the wheel bearing or the tyres making the noise?
Bearing noise changes in a long bend, louder with the bad bearing on the outside and quieter the other way. Tyre noise stays the same. On the MOT ramp the wheel is off the ground, so a noise the tester hears there is the bearing.
Do wheel bearings need replacing in pairs?
No. A bearing is replaced on its own. The other side only needs doing if it is also noisy or has play.
How these figures were calculated. According to DVSA MOT data analysed by PriceMyRepair, from the DVSA anonymised MOT test results (Open Government Licence v3.0): 350,943,111 tests. This advisory was recorded 1,418,843 times; 642,068 of those were followed to the same vehicle’s next test between 180 and 730 days later. “Fails on the same part” means a failure at that next test under the same defect code and naming the same component, on either side of the vehicle. Testers do not always name a component the same way twice, so the figure is a floor. Method and how to cite.