Points rate out as less messy (6)
I believe the answer is:
neater
'less messy' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'points rate out' is the wordplay.
'points' becomes 'ne' (North and East).
'out' indicates an anagram (out can mean wrong or inaccurate).
'rate' with letters rearranged gives 'ater'.
'ne'+'ater'='NEATER'
'as' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for neater that I've seen before include "approaching apple-pie order" , "Less untidy" , "More spick and span" , "More tidy and uncluttered" , "Less messy" .)