The MOT Files

Make overview

Citroen MOT pass rates by model

Data updated

Quick answer

Citroen cars pass 63.5% of MOT tests across 978,508 recorded tests, against a national average of 72.3%. Of the 30 Citroen models with MOT data, the C5 has the highest age-adjusted pass rate at 69.6% and the DS3 the lowest at 51.9%. The item recorded most often on a failed Citroen is transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc.

Tests analysed
978,508
Adjusted pass rate
63.6%
Models with data
30

Adjusted for age and mileage

Citroen models ranked by pass rate

ModelAdjusted pass rateNational rankTests
Citroen C569.6%175 of 26218,758
Citroen C4 Cactus69.0%180 of 26221,184
Citroen C168.7%184 of 262162,679
Citroen Relay68.6%188 of 26214,965
Citroen C363.9%230 of 262189,342
Citroen C463.8%231 of 262125,166
Citroen Dispatch62.0%246 of 26247,150
Citroen Berlingo61.9%247 of 262179,716
Citroen Nemo59.3%255 of 26212,371
Citroen DS351.9%262 of 26268,173

Unadjusted, not ranked

Other Citroen models with MOT data

These models have at least 500 recorded tests, but their tested examples do not span enough ages and mileages to rank fairly. Their failure and advisory patterns are still drawn from real tests.

ModelUnadjusted pass rateTests
Citroen C3 Aircross84.6%35,783
Citroen Xsara51.2%19,396
Citroen C4 Grand Picasso64.8%14,355
Citroen DS454.6%9,558
Citroen C252.9%8,206
Citroen C4 Picasso71.1%6,844
Citroen C5 Aircross89.3%6,715
Citroen C3 Picasso68.0%6,486
Citroen E-C481.7%4,561
Citroen DS560.5%3,899
Citroen C4 Grand Spacetourer83.5%3,769
Citroen Berlingo Multispace70.5%3,446
Citroen Grand C4 Picasso50.2%3,438
Citroen Spacetourer74.3%3,253
Citroen Saxo56.2%2,906
Citroen 2CV73.4%2,466
Citroen C-Crosser54.6%1,439
Citroen C1550.9%900
Citroen C5 X91.8%846
Citroen C846.6%738

Across the range

What Citroen cars fail on most

Share of failed Citroen tests recording each item, summed across every model above.

  1. 1.A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc16.9%

    Driveshaft CV joint gaiter split or missing explained

  2. 2.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning13.0%

    Lamp not working explained

  3. 3.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements12.6%

    Tyre worn close to the legal limit explained

  4. 4.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened12.3%

    Road spring broken or fractured explained

  5. 5.Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning9.8%

    Stop lamp not working explained

  6. 6.a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm8.2%

    Brake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained

Common questions

What is the MOT pass rate for Citroen?
Across 978,508 recorded MOT tests, 63.5% of Citroen tests ended in a pass, against a national average of 72.3%. Adjusted for the age and mileage of the cars tested, the figure is 63.6%. A make-level figure blends very different cars, so the individual model pages are the more useful comparison.
Which Citroen is the most reliable on MOT evidence?
Of the Citroen models with enough data to compare fairly, the C5 has the highest age-and-mileage-adjusted pass rate at 69.6%, ranking 175 of 262 models nationally. This reflects how often cars meet the MOT standard, not how often they break down.
What do Citroen cars most often fail their MOT on?
The most commonly recorded failure item across Citroen tests is "A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc", appearing in 16.9% of failed tests. One failed test can list several items, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Why do some Citroen models not have a pass rate ranking?
A model is only ranked when its tested examples cover a wide enough spread of ages and mileages for a fair comparison. 10 of the 30 Citroen models here qualify. For the rest we publish the unadjusted rate and the failure patterns, but not a rank, because comparing unadjusted rates mostly sorts cars by how new they are.

How to read these figures

Why the adjusted rate is the fair one

An unadjusted pass rate is strongly driven by the age and mileage of the cars being tested, not by how well they were built. A model bought mainly as a lightly used second car will look better than an identical car sold to high-mileage drivers. Adjusting for age and mileage compares each model against cars that have lived a similar life.

For a specific car, its own record beats any model average — check that vehicle’s MOT history and read what testers actually recorded against it.

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