How reliable is the Citroen C5 Aircross compared with other cars?

We do not publish a comparison for the Citroen C5 Aircross, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages.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 89.3% across 6,715 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 C5 Aircross?

The item recorded most often is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", which appears in 33.6% of failed Citroen C5 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 C5 Aircross?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 28.4% of all Citroen C5 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 C5 Aircross usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 31,397 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 C5 Aircross models petrol or diesel?

Of the Citroen C5 Aircross cars tested, 42% are petrol, 31% are diesel, 26% are hybrid. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Citroen C5 Aircross MOT pass rate & common failures

From 6,715 recorded MOT tests of the Citroen C5 Aircross, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

Across 6,715 MOT tests, 89.3% of Citroen C5 Aircross tests ended in a pass. This figure is not adjusted for age or mileage, so it is not a reliability ranking: the Citroen C5 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 tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, which appears in 33.6% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 31,397 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Recorded pass rate

89.3%unadjusted, not comparable6,715 tests

We are not publishing a ranking for the C5 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 6,715 tests and are worth reading on their own terms.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Citroen C5 Aircross tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements33.6%
193 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A tyre seriously damaged30.3%
174 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
3.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm17.8%
102 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
4.A tyre cords visible or damaged15.9%
91 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
5.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen5.6%
32 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
6.Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen4.9%
28 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
7.A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc4.4%
25 occurrencesDriveshaft CV joint gaiter split or missing explained
8.Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn3.3%
19 occurrencesBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
9.A tyre seriously damaged3.0%
17 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
10.A tyre seriously damaged3.0%
17 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Citroen C5 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.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements28.4%
1,861 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured10.5%
691 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
3.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm8.6%
564 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
4.A tyre seriously damaged7.8%
512 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
5.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements4.6%
301 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
6.Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt4.2%
275 tests
7.Nail in tyre2.6%
170 tests
8.A tyre seriously damaged2.3%
148 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained

What gets tested

The C5 Aircross fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 31,397
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol42.1%
Diesel31.5%
Hybrid26.4%

Trim names grouped into this model (28)

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

C5 AIRCROSS + BLUEHDI S/S AUTO
C5 AIRCROSS BLACK ED PHEV AUTO
C5 AIRCROSS C-SERIES ED PHEV A
C5 AIRCROSS C-SERIES PTECH S/S
C5 AIRCROSS CSERIES ED BHDI SS
C5 AIRCROSS FLAIR + PHEV A
C5 AIRCROSS FLAIR PHEV AUTO
C5 AIRCROSS MAX BLUEHDI S/S A
C5 AIRCROSS MAX ED BHDI S/S A
C5 AIRCROSS MAX PURETECH S/S
C5 AIRCROSS SENSE + B-HDI SS A
C5 AIRCROSS SENSE + BLUEHDI SS
C5 AIRCROSS SENSE + P-TECH S/S
C5 AIRCROSS SENSE + PTECH SS A
C5 AIRCROSS SENSE BLUEHDI S/S
C5 AIRCROSS SENSE BLUEHDI SS A
C5 AIRCROSS SENSE PURETECH S/S
C5 AIRCROSS SHINE + B-HDI SS A
C5 AIRCROSS SHINE + BLUEHDI SS
C5 AIRCROSS SHINE + P-TECH S/S
C5 AIRCROSS SHINE + PHEV AUTO
C5 AIRCROSS SHINE + PTECH SS A
C5 AIRCROSS SHINE BLUEHDI
C5 AIRCROSS SHINE BLUEHDI S/S
C5 AIRCROSS SHINE BLUEHDI SS A
C5 AIRCROSS SHINE PTECH MHEV A
C5 AIRCROSS SHINE PTECH S/S A
C5 AIRCROSS SHINE PURETECH S/S

Check a specific Citroen C5 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 C5 Aircross compared with other cars?: We do not publish a comparison for the Citroen C5 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 89.3% across 6,715 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 C5 Aircross?: The item recorded most often is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", which appears in 33.6% of failed Citroen C5 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 C5 Aircross?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 28.4% of all Citroen C5 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 C5 Aircross usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 31,397 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 C5 Aircross models petrol or diesel?: Of the Citroen C5 Aircross cars tested, 42% are petrol, 31% are diesel, 26% are hybrid. 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.