MISSING PAPERS TO BODYWORK: The top five reasons London black cab vehicles fail their TfL licence renewal test
- Perry Richardson
- 50 minutes ago
- 1 min read
New data from Transport for London (TfL) reveals the most common reasons why taxis fail their annual licensing inspections on the first attempt.
Between 24 February and 15 September 2025, the first-time pass rate for taxi vehicle inspections stood at 90.04 per cent. While most vehicles meet the required standards, a notable number fail due to recurring issues.
The most frequent cause of failure during this period was visible damage to external body panels. Taxis showing signs of significant dents or scrapes were marked down, making them unsuitable for public service.
The second most common reason involved missing insurance documentation. Some vehicle owners failed to present current hire and reward insurance, or lacked a valid certificate, cover note or bond certificate at the time of inspection.
TfL inspectors also flagged issues with vehicle registration paperwork. A number of taxis were not able to provide the DVLA V5 or V5C document, or presented fleet printouts that were more than 14 days old.
Mechanical problems also featured among the top five reasons. Vehicles were found to have defects that required rectification before passing the test.
Tyres rounded out the list. Some taxis had tyres that did not meet the manufacturer’s required specifications for size, speed rating or weight capacity.
Each of these faults can lead to a failed inspection and delay the vehicle from being used for hire, reinforcing the importance of pre-test preparation by vehicle owners.
