MOT advisory explained
“Parking brake efficiency only just met”
Your handbrake scraped through. The rollers measured how hard it holds, and the result was on or just above the pass mark. Of all the everyday brake advisories this is the one most likely to be a failure next year, and it is often an adjustment away from being fine.
With the rear wheels on the roller brake tester, the handbrake was applied and its holding force measured against the weight of the car. It reached the legal minimum with almost nothing in hand. The full wording adds that the system appears to need adjustment or repair, and that is meant literally.
12.3% fail on parking brake efficiency at the next test, the highest rate of any brake advisory in our data. There is no margin left to lose. Cables stretch, shoes wear and mechanisms corrode in one direction only.
Pulling the lever higher is not a fix. If the handbrake needs more clicks than it used to, something has worn or stretched. On cars with an electric parking brake there is nothing to adjust by hand, and a low reading points to worn rear pads or a tired actuator. The brake caliper cost page covers both types.
A “parking brake efficiency only just met” advisory means the handbrake reached the legal minimum holding force on the roller brake tester with almost no margin, so the car passes but the system needs adjustment or repair. The pass mark for most cars is sixteen per cent of vehicle weight. According to DVSA MOT data analysed by PriceMyRepair, 12.3% of 314,204 such advisories followed to the next test failed on parking brake efficiency, the highest of any common brake advisory.
How the handbrake is measured
A number, not an opinion. The tester applies the parking brake on the rollers and the machine reports the braking force at each rear wheel. Added together and divided by the weight of the vehicle, that gives an efficiency figure. For most cars, those with a dual-circuit footbrake, the pass mark is sixteen per cent. Older vehicles with a single-circuit system need twenty-five.
What testers write down. They write the figure. The third most common note on this advisory is “16%”, 4,517 times, which is the pass mark exactly. “17%” and “18%” are next. These are handbrakes that passed by one or two points, and a tester who thought that worth recording.
Why handbrakes go weak. A cable stretches or seizes part-way in its sleeve. Rear drum shoes wear or go out of adjustment. On cars with rear discs, the handbrake often works through a small separate drum inside the disc, with shoes that are never used while moving, so they glaze and rust. Or the lever on a rear caliper seizes.
Will it fail next year?
314,204 of these advisories can be followed to the same vehicle’s next MOT.
| What happened at the next test | Share |
|---|---|
| Failed on the same component | 12.3% |
| Same advisory recorded again | 12.1% |
According to DVSA MOT data analysed by PriceMyRepair: 314,204 advisories followed to the same vehicle’s next test. Rows can overlap.
Nothing else in the brake section comes close. A binding brake fails 9.3% of the time, corroded brake pipes 10.1%, pads wearing thin 7.2%. Those are judgements about condition. This is a measurement on a pass mark, taken when the car had already slipped to the line.
The repeat rate is low, at 12.1%. A handbrake that only just passes rarely only just passes twice. It is adjusted and comfortably passes, or it is left and fails.
| Advisory wording | Fails on same part | Advised again | Followed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parking brake efficiency only just met. It would appear that the braking system requires adjustment or repair | 12.3% | 12.1% | 314,204 |
| Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material | 10.1% | 44.4% | 7,889,073 |
| Service brake binding | 9.3% | 14.4% | 2,418,487 |
| Brake pad(s) wearing thin | 7.2% | 16.9% | 13,888,197 |
| Brakes imbalanced requirements only just met. It would appear that the braking system requires adjustment or repair | 4.8% | 6.4% | 690,135 |
| Brake cable damaged | 3.5% | 19.1% | 111,017 |
| Parking brake lever defective but can be satisfactorily operated | 3.3% | 12.9% | 126,541 |
It is uncommon overall, and more so on young cars: 0.4 per 1,000 tests at 3–4 years, rising about tenfold by the late teens. The share that fail next time nearly doubles across the same span, from 7.1% to 13.8% at 13–15 years.
| Age of car | Per 1,000 tests | Fails on same part | Followed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3–4 years | 0.4 | 7.1% | 11,488 |
| 5–6 years | 0.7 | 8.6% | 21,666 |
| 7–9 years | 1.4 | 11.0% | 52,726 |
| 10–12 years | 2.3 | 12.7% | 71,941 |
| 13–15 years | 3.6 | 13.8% | 76,786 |
| 16–19 years | 4.6 | 13.6% | 57,969 |
| 20 years and over | 3.9 | 12.0% | 17,271 |
At the advisory stage the cure is often an adjustment at the lever or the rear brakes, a matter of minutes on a ramp. Left for a year, the usual next step is a seized cable or glazed shoes, and the job becomes parts and hours.
Ask for the adjustment at your next service and ask for the efficiency to be rechecked if the garage has rollers. A healthy handbrake is well clear of the pass mark, not one point over it.
If the car creeps on a hill with the handbrake on, do not wait. Leave it in gear or in Park, turn the wheels to the kerb, and book it in. That is a handbrake that would fail today.
Exact wording on your certificate
The advisory is one of the longest wordings in the MOT system, because it includes the tester’s conclusion. The failure is short.
| Line on the certificate | Result | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Parking brake efficiency only just met. It would appear that the braking system requires adjustment or repair | Advisory — pass | 1.4.2 (a) (i) |
| Parking brake efficiency below requirements | Major — fail | 1.4.2 (a) (i) |
Nearly six in ten have no position recorded at all. That is unusual, and correct: the figure is for the whole parking brake, not one wheel. Where a side is given, it tells you which wheel produced the lower reading, and that is the side to look at first.
| Position written by the tester | Share of all instances |
|---|---|
| No position recorded | 59% |
| Rear | 17% |
| Offside rear | 9% |
| Nearside rear | 8% |
| Offside | 3% |
| Nearside | 3% |
From 707,079 recorded instances. Testers can add their own note after the standard wording. The most common on this advisory: “both sides” (8,957), “both” (5,651), “16%” (4,517), “17%” (2,311), “both side” (1,862), “18%” (734), “both rear” (663), “low effort” (482).
What it costs, step by step
| Job | Price fitted | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rear caliper, one side | £170–£380 | Only if the handbrake lever on the caliper has seized |
Most cases do not get as far as the table. Adjustment is a small labour charge. A new handbrake cable or a set of parking brake shoes costs more, and we do not publish ranges for those because they vary widely by model. The one firm figure we hold is for a rear caliper, the most expensive likely outcome. Start with the adjustment and let the garage tell you what it finds. Brake prices by model are on the brake caliper replacement cost page.
Can I still drive with this advisory?
Until it is adjusted, park in gear, or in Park on an automatic, and on a slope turn the front wheels towards the kerb. Do not rely on the handbrake alone on a steep hill with a loaded car.
Enter your reg to see your car’s MOT history. A handbrake advisory in more than one year means the last adjustment did not address the real cause.
Which cars get this advisory most?
Across all vehicles the rate is 2.0 per 1,000 tests. Vans are far above it.
| Model | Per 1,000 tests | Vs all cars | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercedes-Benz Sprinter | 14 | 7.2× | 2,101,182 |
| Volkswagen Crafter | 9 | 4.3× | 585,956 |
| Citroen Relay | 8 | 3.9× | 662,399 |
| Mercedes-Benz Vito | 8 | 3.8× | 968,046 |
| Volvo XC90 | 7 | 3.6× | 670,937 |
| Vauxhall Movano | 7 | 3.5× | 544,309 |
| Renault Master | 7 | 3.3× | 760,734 |
| Hyundai ix35 | 6 | 2.9× | 561,321 |
| Hyundai i30 | 6 | 2.8× | 1,092,566 |
| Toyota Hilux | 5 | 2.6× | 734,628 |
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.
Six of the ten are large vans and a seventh is a pickup. The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter leads at 7.2 times the average, with the Volkswagen Crafter, Citroen Relay, Mercedes-Benz Vito, Vauxhall Movano and Renault Master behind it. The pass mark is a share of the vehicle’s weight, so a heavy van asks far more of its handbrake than a hatchback does, and a van that is worked hard wears its rear brakes faster.
The cars on the list, the Volvo XC90, Hyundai ix35 and Hyundai i30, have, in most versions, rear disc brakes with the handbrake working on a separate small drum inside the disc. That design is known for losing efficiency as its shoes glaze.
What to do next
- Ask for the figure. The tester has it. One point over the line and six points over are very different situations.
- Have it adjusted. At the lever, at the rear brakes, or both, depending on the car. It is the first thing any garage will try.
- If adjustment does not hold, look further. A cable that has stretched once will do it again. Shoes that are glazed need replacing, not tightening.
- Use the handbrake firmly and often. Parking brake shoes inside a rear disc only stay clean if they are used. Gentle use every day is what lets them rust.
Parking brake efficiency advisory FAQ
What does parking brake efficiency only just met mean?
The handbrake was measured on the roller brake tester and reached the legal minimum with almost no margin. The car passes, but the wording itself says the system appears to need adjustment or repair.
What is the MOT pass mark for a handbrake?
For most cars, sixteen per cent of the vehicle’s weight, measured as braking force on the rollers. Older vehicles with a single-circuit brake system need twenty-five per cent.
Will it fail next year?
More often than any other common brake advisory. According to DVSA MOT data analysed by PriceMyRepair, 12.3% of 314,204 such advisories failed on parking brake efficiency at the next test.
How do you fix a weak handbrake?
Start with adjustment. If that does not restore it, the usual causes are a stretched or seized cable, worn or glazed parking brake shoes, or a seized handbrake lever on a rear caliper.
How much does it cost to fix?
Adjustment is a small labour charge. If a rear caliper has seized, a replacement costs £170–£380 fitted at an independent garage. Cables and shoes fall in between and vary by model. These are estimates and final quotes come from garages.
Does this apply to electric parking brakes?
Yes, they are tested the same way. There is no manual adjustment, so a low reading usually means worn rear pads, a sticking caliper or a weak actuator, and it needs diagnosing by a garage.
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 707,079 times; 314,204 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.