MOT pass rates / Citroen
Citroen MOT pass rates and common failures
Citroen cars passed 62.3% of their MOTs first time in 2024, across 865,692 class-4 initial tests and 34 model groups. That is below the 71.2% UK average, and ranks Citroen 52nd of 59 makes in the dataset.
Pass rates track age more strongly than badge: an older Citroen is compared here against older cars of every other make, so read the age table below before drawing conclusions about the brand.
Checking a Citroen?
Make-level pass rates cannot reveal the condition or provenance of one car.
Check its registration free for the actual MOT, tax and mileage record. Before buying, the optional £9.99 full history check adds outstanding-finance, stolen and insurance write-off checks.
What Citroen cars fail on
The items most often behind a first-test failure across Citroen model groups, as a share of Citroen tests. DVSA publishes each model group's six most common categories, so this ranks the biggest published causes rather than every possible one.
- Transmission — 5% of Citroen tests. A fault with a driveshaft, gaiter or transmission component. Costs vary widely.
- Headlamp Aim — 4.8% of Citroen tests. Headlights pointing too high or low. Cheap to adjust, and common on every make.
- Position Lamps — 4.3% of Citroen tests. A side or tail light out. Usually a bulb.
- Stop Lamp — 3% of Citroen tests. A brake light out. Usually a bulb.
- Registration Plate Lamp(s) — 2% of Citroen tests. The light over the number plate is out. A bulb.
- Suspension Arms — 2% of Citroen tests. Worn arms or bushes. A common age-related repair that affects handling and tyre wear.
- Headlamps — 1.8% of Citroen tests. A headlight fault, from a blown bulb to a failed unit.
- Brake Performance — 1.3% of Citroen tests. The brakes underperformed on the rolling road. Expect brake work rather than an adjustment.
Citroen MOT pass rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Initial pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3–5 years | 110,559 | 80.9% |
| 6–9 years | 267,269 | 68.6% |
| 10–14 years | 322,810 | 56.2% |
| 15–30 years | 164,572 | 51.3% |
Citroen models by MOT pass rate
| Model | Tests | Initial pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| C3 | 165,464 | 63.2% |
| Berlingo | 155,121 | 57.3% |
| C1 | 132,666 | 69.1% |
| C4 | 125,725 | 58.6% |
| DS3 | 68,695 | 52.1% |
| Dispatch | 30,663 | 57.1% |
| C3 Aircross | 23,389 | 84% |
| Xsara | 21,812 | 50% |
| C4 Cactus | 19,680 | 73.3% |
| C5 | 18,268 | 75% |
| Relay | 12,257 | 63.1% |
| Nemo | 12,179 | 57.8% |
| C2 | 10,267 | 52.9% |
| DS4 | 9,790 | 55.3% |
| C4 Grand Picasso | 9,636 | 67.8% |
| C3 Picasso | 6,176 | 69.4% |
| C4 Picasso | 5,651 | 73.5% |
| DS5 | 4,107 | 60.8% |
| Grand C4 Picasso | 4,003 | 48.3% |
| Dispatch 1000 En-prise Bhdi SS | 3,149 | 70.2% |
| Saxo | 2,957 | 54.6% |
| Berlingo Multispace | 2,722 | 72.3% |
| C1 Shine | 2,717 | 92.1% |
| Berlingo 1000 En-prise Bluehdi | 2,383 | 68.4% |
| C3 Shine Puretech S/S | 2,200 | 89.5% |
| Spacetourer | 2,115 | 78% |
| C3 Flair + Puretech S/S | 2,088 | 91.1% |
| C3 Shine + Puretech S/S | 2,021 | 90.5% |
| Berlingo 650 En-prise PRO Bhdi | 1,727 | 72% |
| C-crosser | 1,424 | 57.5% |
| Dispatch 1200 En-prise Bhdi SS | 1,308 | 70.8% |
| C4 Shine Puretech S/S | 1,238 | 80.2% |
| C3 Aircross Shine + P-tech S/S | 1,047 | 90.3% |
| C3 Aircross Shine Puretech S/S | 1,047 | 90.2% |
How many Citroen vehicles are left?
At the end of 2026 Q1, DfT recorded 1,130,755 licensed and 155,333 SORN Citroen vehicles across 45 published model groups.
Licensed and SORN counts for every Citroen model
Before you buy
- Transmission — 5% of tests in 2024. A fault with a driveshaft, gaiter or transmission component. Costs vary widely.
- Headlamp Aim — 4.8% of tests in 2024. Headlights pointing too high or low. Cheap to adjust, and common on every make.
- Position Lamps — 4.3% of tests in 2024. A side or tail light out. Usually a bulb.
- Stop Lamp — 3% of tests in 2024. A brake light out. Usually a bulb.
- Check the actual Citroen — These figures describe the model group. Enter the registration for that vehicle's free MOT, tax and mileage record before you pay a deposit.
Common questions
What is the Citroen MOT pass rate?
62.3% of 865,692 class-4 initial MOT tests on Citroen cars passed first time in 2024 — below the 71.2% UK average across all published models.
Which Citroen has the best MOT pass rate?
Of the Citroen model groups with a substantial sample, the C3 Aircross has the highest initial pass rate at 84% across 23,389 tests. Pass rates track vehicle age closely, so newer model groups tend to sit higher.
Does a good Citroen pass rate mean the car I am looking at is fine?
No. A model-level rate describes a population, not one vehicle. Enter the registration for that car's own MOT, tax and mileage record, and check for outstanding finance, write-off and stolen markers before you buy.
Methodology and limitations
MOT outcomes describe testable items at the time of inspection. They are not a measure of overall mechanical reliability.
Scope: Class 4 normal initial MOT tests completed in 2024. Models require at least 1,000 qualifying tests. Duplicate source rows are removed using official DVSA test IDs.
Source: Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency anonymised MOT tests and results, 2024, published 2025-05-23 under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Check the actual car
Enter the registration for that Citroen's own free MOT, tax and mileage record. Before money changes hands, the £9.99 full history check adds outstanding finance, insurance write-off and stolen checks.