No. Kerb scuffs, scratches, surface corrosion and peeling lacquer are not on the list of wheel defects in the DVSA's MOT inspection manual. What fails is structural damage: a fracture or welding defect, a badly distorted wheel, or a wheel that doesn't match its fixings. Those are major or dangerous faults.
Below, we cover exactly what the MOT checks on your wheels, where kerb damage can turn into a fail, and when cosmetic damage is still worth putting right.
What the MOT checks on your wheels
The MOT tester checks the wheels for structural faults, not for how they look. The DVSA manual lists these road wheel defects:
| Defect (DVSA wording) | Category |
|---|---|
| Any fracture or welding defect on a wheel | Dangerous |
| A wheel badly distorted, or wear between wheel and hub at spigot mounting | Major |
| A wheel distorted or worn to the extent the wheel or tyre is likely to become detached | Dangerous |
| A wheel and its fixings not compatible | Major |
| A wheel with a loose or missing wheel nut, bolt or stud | Major (Dangerous if more than one) |
None of the wheel defects is classed as minor. A wheel either has a structural problem or it doesn't.
Does the tester check the spare wheel?
No. The manual tells testers to inspect only the road wheels fitted to the car at the time of the test. If they spot a problem with the spare, they should tell you about it, but it isn't part of the result.
Will the tester take my wheel trims off?
No. The manual says testers must not remove wheel hub caps.
Why kerb damage on its own isn't a fail
Kerb rash is damage to the finish, and the MOT doesn't inspect the finish. A scraped rim edge, a scratched spoke or lacquer lifting off the face of the wheel doesn't appear anywhere in the wheel section of the manual.
The catch is that a hard kerb strike can do more than mark the face. If the impact has bent the wheel out of shape, that is the distortion the manual lists, and a badly distorted wheel is a major fault. So the scuff isn't the problem. What the knock did underneath it might be.
What does fail: cracks, distortion and the wrong fixings
These are the faults that take a wheel from tatty to unsafe.
Cracks. A fracture anywhere on the wheel is a dangerous defect. A car with a dangerous defect fails, and you shouldn't drive it until it's fixed.
Distortion. A wheel that is badly out of shape is a major fault. If it's bad enough that the wheel or tyre is likely to come off, it's dangerous.
Fixings. Wheel nuts or bolts that don't suit the wheel, or that are loose or missing, are a fail too.
A crack or a buckle is structural rather than cosmetic, and it isn't something to guess at from a description. If you think a wheel is cracked or bent, send us a photo first and we'll tell you honestly whether it's worth refurbishing, whether it needs a specialist repair first, or whether you're better off replacing it.
Is cosmetic damage still worth fixing?
Often, yes, even though it won't fail an MOT. Most sets that come to us aren't wrecked so much as tired: kerb rash down one edge, lacquer lifting off the faces and white corrosion creeping out from the rim.
Corrosion is the one not to leave. Once lacquer starts lifting, water gets underneath and the corrosion spreads on its own, which is why older alloys look tired even when they've never touched a kerb. Painting over it leaves it carrying on underneath. The fix is to take the old finish right back and seal the bare metal.
What alloy wheel refurbishment costs with us
Refurbishing a kerbed or corroded alloy costs £70 a wheel or £240 for a set of four, including VAT, for most wheel sizes. Every job is still estimated when we see the wheels.
Each wheel is stripped, repaired and refinished at our unit in Mansfield Woodhouse. Kerb damage is filled and rebuilt during preparation, then the wheel is primed, painted and sealed under a UV lacquer. A single wheel is colour-matched to the rest of the set, or you can change the colour to whatever you like.
If the calipers are looking tired too, we can paint them while the wheels are off: £160 for all four, or £360 for wheels and calipers together. Red, yellow, blue, green and black are the usual choices.
See our alloy wheel refurbishment page for the full process, or get a quote with a photo of the wheels. You can also call us on 07713 175704.
Source: DVSA, MOT inspection manual: cars and passenger vehicles, section 5.2 Wheels and tyres (updated 14 October 2026). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Published: 28th October, 2026 | Updated: 28th October, 2026