MOT pass rates / Nissan
Nissan MOT pass rates and common failures
Nissan cars passed 68% of their MOTs first time in 2024, across 1,450,007 class-4 initial tests and 44 model groups. That is below the 71.2% UK average, and ranks Nissan 40th of 59 makes in the dataset.
Pass rates track age more strongly than badge: an older Nissan is compared here against older cars of every other make, so read the age table below before drawing conclusions about the brand.
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What Nissan cars fail on
The items most often behind a first-test failure across Nissan model groups, as a share of Nissan tests. DVSA publishes each model group's six most common categories, so this ranks the biggest published causes rather than every possible one.
- Suspension Arms — 7.6% of Nissan tests. Worn arms or bushes. A common age-related repair that affects handling and tyre wear.
- Steering Linkage Components — 3.6% of Nissan tests. Worn track rod ends or joints. Affects steering and tyre wear, and is a normal age-related repair.
- Position Lamps — 3.4% of Nissan tests. A side or tail light out. Usually a bulb.
- Mechanical Brake Components — 2.8% of Nissan tests. Worn discs, pads or callipers. Routine wear, but it should be priced into the deal.
- Headlamp Aim — 1.9% of Nissan tests. Headlights pointing too high or low. Cheap to adjust, and common on every make.
- Anti-roll Bars — 1.7% of Nissan tests. Worn anti-roll bar links or bushes. Inexpensive but often recurring.
- Wipers — 1.5% of Nissan tests. Worn wiper blades. Minutes to fix, and a fair hint that servicing was skipped.
- Brake Performance — 1.3% of Nissan tests. The brakes underperformed on the rolling road. Expect brake work rather than an adjustment.
Nissan MOT pass rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Initial pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3–5 years | 235,947 | 86.4% |
| 6–9 years | 507,537 | 75.6% |
| 10–14 years | 452,638 | 58% |
| 15–30 years | 253,505 | 53.4% |
Nissan models by MOT pass rate
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.
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