MOT advisory explained
“Tyre slightly damaged/cracking or perishing”
A tyre with plenty of tread that is wearing out anyway, from age. It is the third most common advisory on UK cars, it shows up most on small cars that do few miles, and it is one of the cheaper ones to clear.
The tester found fine cracks in the rubber, usually in the sidewall or between the tread blocks, or minor surface damage. Nothing reaches the cords inside the tyre, so it passes. Cracking is what rubber does when it gets old.
9.2% fail on a tyre at the next test. Cracks do not close up. Sun, ozone and standing still all keep working on the rubber, so a tyre advised this year is a year older and a little worse at the next.
A mid-range tyre in a common size, fitted and balanced. Tyres that have aged together are usually replaced together, so budget for the axle.
This is about the age of the rubber, not the depth of the tread. If your advisory mentions the legal limit, you want “tyre worn close to legal limit”. A tyre can have both.
A “tyre slightly damaged/cracking or perishing” advisory means the tester found fine cracks or minor damage in a tyre’s rubber that do not reach the cords, so the car passes. It is a sign of age more than wear. A replacement tyre costs £70–£100 fitted. According to DVSA MOT data analysed by PriceMyRepair, 9.2% of 14.9 million such advisories followed to the next test failed on a tyre, and 24.4% were advised again.
Tyres that age out before they wear out
Why rubber cracks. Tyre rubber contains oils and protective waxes that work their way to the surface as the tyre flexes. On a car that is driven little, they stop migrating, the surface dries, and sunlight and ozone open up fine cracks. A tyre on a car that sits outside and covers three thousand miles a year can perish with most of its tread left.
Read the date code. Every tyre has a four-digit code moulded into the sidewall after the letters DOT. The first two digits are the week it was made and the last two the year. There is no legal age limit for car tyres, but most manufacturers say to have them inspected yearly from about five years old and replaced by ten whatever they look like.
Sidewall or tread. Testers’ notes split between “sidewall” and “cracking in tread”. Shallow crazing in the sidewall is the usual kind and the slower one. Cracks at the base of the tread grooves matter more, because that is where the tyre flexes hardest and where a crack can deepen towards the belts.
Will it fail next year?
This is one of the biggest samples in our data: 40,116,010 recorded instances, with 14,917,627 followed to the same vehicle’s next MOT.
| What happened at the next test | Share |
|---|---|
| Failed on the same component | 9.2% |
| Same advisory recorded again | 24.4% |
According to DVSA MOT data analysed by PriceMyRepair: 14,917,627 advisories followed to the same vehicle’s next test. Rows can overlap.
The result is close to the other main tyre advisory. “Worn close to legal limit” fails 10.0% of the time and cracking 9.2%, which is notable because a worn tyre has a hard line to cross at 1.6 mm and a cracked one does not. Testers fail a perished tyre on judgement, and they evidently do.
Nearly a quarter are advised again unchanged. Those are mostly the low-mileage cars where the tyre is ageing slowly and nobody sees a reason to replace something with good tread.
| Advisory wording | Fails on same part | Advised again | Followed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyre has a cut | 10.8% | 9.8% | 2,198,577 |
| Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge | 10.0% | 22.0% | 32,463,345 |
| Tyre slightly damaged/cracking or perishing | 9.2% | 24.4% | 14,917,627 |
| Brake pad(s) wearing thin | 7.2% | 16.9% | 13,888,197 |
| Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, | 3.7% | 31.2% | 15,014,091 |
| Valve stem slightly damaged | 3.5% | 13.4% | 184,267 |
| Road wheel slightly distorted | 1.0% | 29.6% | 1,628,156 |
Unlike most advisories this one is already common on young cars, at 60.0 per 1,000 tests at 3–4 years, because those are often still on their original tyres. The rate then holds at eighty to ninety per 1,000 for the rest of the car’s life. What rises with age is the share that fail next time, from 7.0% to 11.0%.
| Age of car | Per 1,000 tests | Fails on same part | Followed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3–4 years | 60.0 | 7.0% | 1,916,279 |
| 5–6 years | 81.0 | 8.0% | 2,649,181 |
| 7–9 years | 79.8 | 9.3% | 3,437,651 |
| 10–12 years | 80.2 | 10.2% | 2,701,634 |
| 13–15 years | 84.5 | 11.0% | 1,998,795 |
| 16–19 years | 91.8 | 11.0% | 1,301,832 |
| 20 years and over | 86.1 | 9.7% | 446,413 |
An older car with cracked tyres is more often a second or third car doing very few miles, and its tyres can be older than they look. The cracking on those is further along when it is first noticed.
On any car, the date code tells you more than the tread depth does. A tyre past ten years old with visible cracking should be replaced, advisory or not.
Part-worn tyres are a poor fix for this advisory. They are sold on tread depth, and many are already old. Check the date code before buying any tyre, new or used.
Exact wording on your certificate
Several wordings share this code, all describing surface damage that stops short of the tyre’s structure. The failures describe damage that reaches it.
| Line on the certificate | Result | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre slightly damaged/cracking or perishing | Advisory — pass | 5.2.3 (d) (ii) |
| Tyre slightly damaged | Advisory — pass | 5.2.3 (d) (ii) |
| Tyre slightly damaged/cracking or perishing | Advisory — pass | 5.2.3 (d) (i) |
| Tyre slightly damaged/valve stem damaged | Advisory — pass | 5.2.3 (d) (i) |
| Tyre has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords | Major — fail | 5.2.3 (d) (i) |
| Tyre has a lump, bulge or tear caused by separation or partial failure of its structure | Dangerous — fail, do not drive | 5.2.3 (d) (ii) |
Nearly two thirds are rear tyres. On a front-wheel-drive car the fronts do the driving, steering and most of the braking, so they wear out and get replaced. The rears last so long that they perish first.
| Position written by the tester | Share of all instances |
|---|---|
| Offside rear | 30% |
| Nearside rear | 29% |
| Nearside front | 13% |
| Offside front | 13% |
| Rear | 5% |
| No position recorded | 4% |
From 40,116,010 recorded instances. Testers can add their own note after the standard wording. The most common on this advisory: “both” (810,473), “cracking” (420,004), “both sides” (358,832), “sidewall” (226,618), “both rear” (214,927), “perishing” (211,587), “perished” (209,608), “outer sidewall” (116,066).
What new tyres cost
| Job | Price fitted | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| One tyre, fitted and balanced | £70–£100 | Mid-range, common size. Larger and premium tyres cost more |
Fitted price including valve and balancing. A pair on the same axle is simply twice the single price. If the rears are perished and the fronts are newer, fit the new tyres to the rear, which is what tyre makers advise for stability. More prices are on the repair costs index.
Can I still drive with this advisory?
Be more careful about sustained motorway speed, heavy loads and hot weather, which are the conditions where old rubber lets go. Check the tyres monthly. If a crack deepens enough to show fabric or cord, or a bulge appears, stop using the tyre.
Enter your reg to see every tyre advisory your car has had, corner by corner, and how many years each has been repeated.
Which cars get this advisory most?
The all-vehicle average is already high, 70.8 per 1,000 tests. These models sit well above it.
| Model | Per 1,000 tests | Vs all cars | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dacia Sandero | 137 | 1.9× | 907,961 |
| Peugeot 108 | 133 | 1.9× | 609,329 |
| SEAT Arona | 123 | 1.7× | 263,398 |
| Vauxhall Agila | 122 | 1.7× | 435,853 |
| Audi Q2 | 121 | 1.7× | 398,724 |
| Ford Ecosport | 120 | 1.7× | 748,092 |
| Citroen C1 | 118 | 1.7× | 1,686,560 |
| Skoda Citigo | 117 | 1.7× | 456,241 |
| Volkswagen Up | 116 | 1.6× | 1,063,721 |
| Toyota Aygo | 116 | 1.6× | 2,282,030 |
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.
Every car in the top ten is small, and most are city cars: the Peugeot 108, Vauxhall Agila, Citroen C1, Skoda Citigo, Volkswagen Up and Toyota Aygo. They are light, so their tyres wear slowly, and they tend to do short trips and low annual mileage. Their tyres reach old age with tread to spare.
The spread is narrow. The top model is only 1.9 times the average, which says this is about how cars are used far more than about any one design.
What to do next
- Read all four date codes. Four digits after DOT on the sidewall. Anything close to ten years old should go, whatever the tread.
- Look where the cracks are. Sidewall crazing can be watched. Cracks in the tread grooves, or any crack you can open with a fingernail, should not.
- Replace by the axle. Tyres fitted together age together. Put the new pair on the rear.
- Look after the next set. Correct pressures and regular use slow the ageing. A car that stands for months is hard on its tyres.
Tyre cracking or perishing advisory FAQ
What does tyre slightly damaged/cracking or perishing mean?
The tester found fine cracks or minor surface damage in a tyre’s rubber. It does not reach the cords, so the car passes. Cracking and perishing are signs that the rubber is ageing.
Will a cracked or perished tyre fail the next MOT?
It can. According to DVSA MOT data analysed by PriceMyRepair, 9.2% of 14.9 million such advisories failed on a tyre at the next test, about the same as tyres advised for low tread.
Is it safe to drive on a tyre with cracking?
For normal driving at the advisory stage, yes. Old rubber is weakest at sustained high speed, under heavy load and in heat. Replace the tyre if cracks deepen, show cord or fabric, or a bulge appears.
How old is too old for a car tyre?
There is no legal limit for cars. Most tyre makers advise yearly inspection from about five years and replacement by ten. The age is in the four-digit code after DOT on the sidewall: week, then year.
How much does a new tyre cost?
A mid-range tyre in a common size costs £70–£100 fitted and balanced. Larger sizes and premium brands cost more. These are estimates and final quotes come from tyre fitters and garages.
Why do small cars get this advisory most?
They are light and often do low mileage, so tyres wear slowly and age before the tread is used up. The Dacia Sandero, Peugeot 108 and Citroen C1 are among the most affected.
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 40,116,010 times; 14,917,627 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.