How reliable is the Citroen C3 Aircross compared with other cars?

We do not publish a comparison for the Citroen C3 Aircross, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages. Its raw pass rate is 84.6% across 35,783 tests, but comparing a raw rate between models mostly ranks them by how new they are rather than how good they are. The failure and advisory patterns further down the page are still drawn from real tests and are worth reading.

What do testers most often warn about on a Citroen C3 Aircross?

The most common advisory is "Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured", noted on 26.8% of all Citroen C3 Aircross tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Citroen C3 Aircross usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 34,815 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.

Are most Citroen C3 Aircross models petrol or diesel?

Of the Citroen C3 Aircross cars tested, 94% are petrol, 6% are diesel. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Citroen C3 Aircross MOT pass rate & common failures

From 35,783 recorded MOT tests of the Citroen C3 Aircross, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

Across 35,783 MOT tests, 84.6% of Citroen C3 Aircross tests ended in a pass. This figure is not adjusted for age or mileage, so it is not a reliability ranking: the Citroen C3 Aircross fleet does not yet cover a wide enough spread of ages and distances to compare it fairly against other models. Its most commonly recorded failure is transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, which appears in 21.3% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 34,815 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Recorded pass rate

84.6%unadjusted, not comparable35,783 tests

We are not publishing a ranking for the C3 Aircross. The examples tested do not cover a wide enough spread of ages and mileages to compare it fairly, and an unadjusted pass rate mostly sorts models by how recently they were bought rather than how well they were built. The failure and advisory patterns below come from the same 35,783 tests and are worth reading on their own terms.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Citroen C3 Aircross tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc21.3%
952 occurrencesDriveshaft CV joint gaiter split or missing explained
2.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm16.5%
738 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
3.Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn14.6%
654 occurrencesBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
4.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements12.6%
563 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
5.A tyre seriously damaged12.5%
558 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
6.A tyre cords visible or damaged5.2%
232 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
7.A tyre seriously damaged4.8%
214 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
8.Exhaust system leaking or insecure4.7%
210 occurrencesExhaust leaking or insecure explained
9.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured3.9%
174 occurrencesBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
10.Exhaust system leaking or insecure3.6%
163 occurrencesExhaust leaking or insecure explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Citroen C3 Aircross tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured26.8%
9,591 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
2.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements19.3%
6,900 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
3.A tyre seriously damaged16.6%
5,957 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
4.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm8.7%
3,096 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
5.Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn7.1%
2,535 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
6.Exhaust system leaking or insecure4.0%
1,430 testsExhaust leaking or insecure explained
7.Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt2.8%
990 tests
8.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements2.7%
956 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained

What gets tested

The C3 Aircross fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 34,815
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol94.2%
Diesel5.8%

Trim names grouped into this model (16)

Recorded exactly as DVSA holds them. Trim-level names are rolled up so one model is not split across a dozen thin pages.

C3 AIRCROSS C-SERIES PTECH S/S
C3 AIRCROSS CSERIES ED PTCH SS
C3 AIRCROSS MAX PURETECH S/S
C3 AIRCROSS MAX PURETECH S/S A
C3 AIRCROSS ORIGINS P-TECH S/S
C3 AIRCROSS PLUS PURETECH SS A
C3 AIRCROSS RIP CURL P-TECH SS
C3 AIRCROSS RIP CURL PTEC SS A
C3 AIRCROSS SHINE + BHDI S/S
C3 AIRCROSS SHINE + P-TECH S/S
C3 AIRCROSS SHINE + PTCH S/S A
C3 AIRCROSS SHINE BLUEHDI S/S
C3 AIRCROSS SHINE PTCH S/S A
C3 AIRCROSS SHINE PURETECH S/S
C3 AIRCROSS SPORTIF
C3 AIRCROSS YOU PURETECH S/S

Check a specific Citroen C3 Aircross

A model average tells you the pattern. Its own MOT record tells you the car.

Compare within the range

Other Citroen models

Citroen C3 — 63.9% adjusted
Citroen Berlingo — 61.9% adjusted
Citroen C1 — 68.7% adjusted
Citroen C4 — 63.8% adjusted
Citroen DS3 — 51.9% adjusted
Citroen Dispatch — 62.0% adjusted
All Citroen models

Common questions

How reliable is the Citroen C3 Aircross compared with other cars?: We do not publish a comparison for the Citroen C3 Aircross, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages. Its raw pass rate is 84.6% across 35,783 tests, but comparing a raw rate between models mostly ranks them by how new they are rather than how good they are. The failure and advisory patterns further down the page are still drawn from real tests and are worth reading.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Citroen C3 Aircross?: The item recorded most often is "A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc", which appears in 21.3% of failed Citroen C3 Aircross tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.
What do testers most often warn about on a Citroen C3 Aircross?: The most common advisory is "Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured", noted on 26.8% of all Citroen C3 Aircross tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Citroen C3 Aircross usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 34,815 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.
Are most Citroen C3 Aircross models petrol or diesel?: Of the Citroen C3 Aircross cars tested, 94% are petrol, 6% are diesel. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

How this was worked out

Method and limits

Figures come from the DVSA anonymised MOT testing dataset, published under the Open Government Licence. Only class 4 initial tests are counted: retests are excluded so a car appears once, and abandoned tests are excluded entirely. No adjusted rate is shown because this model's tested examples do not cover enough of the national age and mileage range for standardisation to mean anything.

An MOT measures whether a car met a legal standard on the day. It is not a breakdown record, a service history or a running-cost estimate, and a pass rate is a property of a fleet rather than a prediction about one car.