Aston Martin DBS, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls
1,669 Aston Martin DBS cars are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 94% of initial MOT tests, 21.7 points above the 72.3% UK average.
Looking at a specific DBS? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Aston Martin DBS at the MOT
94% of 1,631 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the DBS 9th of 575 models. Aston Martin DBS cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 95% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 93.2%.
First-time pass rate, 2025
Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.
Pass rate by age at test
Aston Martin DBS tests in 2025.
Where DBS cars fail
Share of all failure items recorded on Aston Martin DBS tests in 2025.
The items testers recorded most often were registration plates does not conform to the specified requirements (11%), position lamp not working (8.4%) and headlamp aim too low (7.8%).
The MOT page lists every common DBS MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.
What to look at on a viewing
The DBS's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.
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Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Walk round with every light on: headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lamp. Check no warning lights stay on after starting.41.6% of DBS failure items
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Tyres
Check tread depth across the full width of every tyre (the legal minimum is 1.6mm), and look for cuts, bulges and uneven wear.14.9% of DBS failure items
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Identification of the vehicle
Match the number plates and VIN to the V5C logbook, and check the plates are legal.13% of DBS failure items
Aston Martin DBS cars in the UK
1,669 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has grown 75% since the end of 2014.
- Change since 2014
- +75%from 951 licensed
- Typical year of first use
- 2019half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2019 or earlier
- First registered in 2025
- 4against 338 in 2019
- Declared off the road
- 43020% of those registered, under SORN
Licensed Aston Martin DBS cars since 2014
Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.
Show the figures
| Date | Licensed |
|---|---|
| End of 2014 | 951 |
| End of 2015 | 921 |
| End of 2016 | 898 |
| End of 2017 | 838 |
| End of 2018 | 890 |
| End of 2019 | 1,172 |
| End of 2020 | 1,320 |
| End of 2021 | 1,462 |
| End of 2022 | 1,551 |
| End of 2023 | 1,565 |
| End of 2024 | 1,552 |
| End of 2025 | 1,535 |
| End of June 2026 | 1,669 |
How old they are
Licensed Aston Martin DBS cars by year of first use.
- Licensed at the end of 2025
- First registered that year
A further 166 were first used before 2005.
Show the figures
| First used | Licensed, end 2025 | First registered that year |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 7 | 12 |
| 2023 | 86 | 104 |
| 2022 | 93 | 117 |
| 2021 | 117 | 148 |
| 2020 | 179 | 224 |
| 2019 | 264 | 338 |
| 2018 | 51 | 55 |
| 2017 | 0 | 6 |
| 2016 | 0 | 10 |
| 2015 | 0 | 9 |
| 2014 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 2 | |
| 2012 | 88 | |
| 2011 | 104 | |
| 2010 | 128 | |
| 2009 | 130 | |
| 2008 | 61 | |
| 2007 | 6 | |
| 2006 | 0 | |
| 2005 | 0 |
DBS engine sizes
5.2 litre engines made up 51% of Aston Martin DBS MOT tests in 2025, followed by 5.9 litre at 46%. Petrol accounts for 100% of licensed DBS cars.
Engine size at MOT, 2025
Share of 1,631 initial MOT tests in 2025.
Aston Martin DBS recalls
8 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Aston Martin DBS. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every DBS is affected.
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Oct 2020 R/2020/280
Certain fixings on the front seat air bag may not have been tightened to the correct torque
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Certain fixings on the front seat airbag may not have been tightened to the correct torque.
- Remedy
- Examine the front seat airbag fixings and if necessary secure the fixings.
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Nov 2019 R/2019/396
The vehicles may not have had their passenger airbag fixings tightened to the correct torque
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Vehicles may not have had their passenger airbag fixings tightened to the correct torque specification
- Remedy
- Examine the passenger airbag fixings and if necessary secure the fixings.
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Dec 2017 R/2017/345
Vehicle may roll away
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Due to a communication error between the Engine Control Module (ECM) software and the Transmission Control Module (TCM) the transmission park pawl may not engage. In certain circumstances such as when the park brake is not applied the vehicle may roll away.
- Remedy
- On affected vehicles update the software for the Transmission Control Module.
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Dec 2017 R/2017/343
Movement of seat may damage battery supply cable
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- In some circumstances when the right side front seat is operated to its fully reward position the seat runner can compress the battery supply cable and cause the seat to damage the battery supply cable. This may cause an open circuit and/or ground the supply cable which may then overheat.
- Remedy
- On affected vehicles examine the battery supply cable for damage and install a routing block to ensure that the seat runner cannot compress the battery supply cable. If necessary replace the cable.
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Apr 2016 R/2016/082
Risk of short-circuit in battery supply cable
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- On affected vehicles the right fron seat can compress the battery supply cable. Prolonged occurences coulld cause damage to the insulation and the cable may short out
- Remedy
- Fit new cable guide to reroute supply cable. Check condition of supply cable and where necessary reinforce insulation. In rare instances the cable may require replacement.
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Dec 2014 R/2014/163
Seat may overheat
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- On affected vehicles The control module for the front heated seats mail fail and when the ignition is switched on allow a permanent feed to the heater element(s). In this condition it may not be possible to switch off the heater element and over a period of time this may cause a seat to overheat and smouldering to occur. Occupants will notice an inability to switch the seat heater off using the designated switch and over longer periods a higher than normal temperature of the seat squab.
- Remedy
- Fit additional seat heater monitoring modules. Where necessary seat elements may also be replaced.
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Oct 2010 R/2010/148
Steering may be affected
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- It has been established that the front suspension bottom suspension arm cam-bolt may be out of specification. It is possible that these bolts could crack and fail. This could in extreme cases affect the directional control of the vehicle.
- Remedy
- Recall all affected vehicles for the replacement of the cam-bolt.
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Aug 2009 R/2009/085
Steering response may be incorrect
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- It has been identified that during the build process of the subject vehicles a safety critical action to check the torque of the front sub frame assembly bolts was omitted. Should the situation be ignored the driver would become aware of an unusual steering response.
- Remedy
- Recalled vehicles will have the subject bolts inspected to ascertain whether they have been paint marked to indicate that the torque has been checked during production. Should this not be the case the bolts will be re-torqued.
Other Aston Martin models
The most-tested Aston Martin models in 2025, against the DBS's 94% MOT pass rate.
Aston Martin DBS FAQs
How many Aston Martin DBS cars are there in the UK?
1,669 Aston Martin DBS cars were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 430 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.
Is the Aston Martin DBS reliable?
MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is a 94% first-time pass rate for the Aston Martin DBS across 1,631 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.
Has the Aston Martin DBS had any recalls?
8 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Aston Martin DBS. The most recent was published in October 2020. A recall applies to vehicles built in a set period, so check a specific car on the GOV.UK vehicle recall checker.
What should I check before buying a used Aston Martin DBS?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, tyres and identification of the vehicle. Then check the individual car's own records. Outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and police stolen markers are not part of the MOT record, so they take a history check.
How do I check an Aston Martin DBS's history?
Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.
Already found a DBS?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Across the 1,548 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the Aston Martin history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the Aston Martin VIN check.
- Outstanding finance
- Write-off records
- Stolen markers
- Mileage history
- Previous keepers
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), which also gives the engine sizes. Licensed, SORN, fuel and registration figures are from the Department for Transport vehicle licensing statistics (VEH0120, VEH0124, VEH0160). Recalls are from the DVSA vehicle recalls data, with recalls launched up to October 2026. Government data is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability. History-check findings are anonymous counts from reports bought on Carpeep, each vehicle counted once, and are published only where at least 100 vehicles returned an answer.