Is the Citroen Nemo reliable?

On MOT evidence the Citroen Nemo is well below average. It passes 59.3% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 78% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.

What is the most common MOT failure on a Citroen Nemo?

The item recorded most often is "A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened", which appears in 26.8% of failed Citroen Nemo 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 Nemo?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 31.6% of all Citroen Nemo tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Citroen Nemo usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 104,613 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.

Does a Citroen Nemo get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 65.2% of Citroen Nemo tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 53.6%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most Citroen Nemo models petrol or diesel?

Of the Citroen Nemo cars tested, 93% are diesel, 6% are petrol. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Citroen Nemo MOT pass rate & common failures

From 12,371 recorded MOT tests of the Citroen Nemo, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Citroen Nemo passes 59.3% of MOT tests once results are adjusted for the age and mileage of the cars tested, against a national average of 72.3%. That is well below average. Based on 12,371 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, which appears in 26.8% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 104,613 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

59.3%national average72.3%unadjusted56.9%range covered78%

The Nemo is 13.0 percentage points below the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is well below average. The unadjusted figure is 56.9%; the difference is what the age and mileage of this model’s fleet was hiding.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

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

1.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened26.8%
1,198 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
2.A shock absorber bush excessively worn20.8%
928 occurrencesShock absorber defective explained
3.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements14.3%
638 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
4.A tyre cords visible or damaged11.0%
490 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
5.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning10.9%
486 occurrencesLamp not working explained
6.The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements9.5%
423 occurrencesHeadlamp aim incorrect explained
7.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen7.3%
324 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
8.Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning6.3%
282 occurrencesStop lamp not working explained
9.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage6.2%
276 occurrencesShock absorber defective explained
10.A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps6.0%
268 occurrencesLamp not working explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Citroen Nemo 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 requirements31.6%
3,915 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A tyre seriously damaged17.5%
2,166 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
3.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users16.8%
2,080 tests
4.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened10.6%
1,309 testsRoad spring broken or fractured explained
5.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured8.3%
1,023 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
6.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn8.2%
1,019 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
7.A shock absorber bush excessively worn6.6%
812 testsShock absorber defective explained
8.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage6.4%
791 testsShock absorber defective explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

6–8 yrs65%

9–11 yrs58%

12–14 yrs58%

15+ yrs54%

Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The Nemo fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 104,613
Fuel mix of tested cars: Diesel93.4%
Petrol6.4%

Check a specific Citroen Nemo

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

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Jeep Compass — 71.8% adjusted, ranked 152
Toyota Proace — 69.7% adjusted, ranked 174
Ford Mustang — 80.6% adjusted, ranked 49
Volkswagen California — 76.5% adjusted, ranked 91

Common questions

Is the Citroen Nemo reliable?: On MOT evidence the Citroen Nemo is well below average. It passes 59.3% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 78% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Citroen Nemo?: The item recorded most often is "A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened", which appears in 26.8% of failed Citroen Nemo 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 Nemo?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 31.6% of all Citroen Nemo tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Citroen Nemo usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 104,613 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.
Does a Citroen Nemo get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 65.2% of Citroen Nemo tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 53.6%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.
Are most Citroen Nemo models petrol or diesel?: Of the Citroen Nemo cars tested, 93% are diesel, 6% are petrol. 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. The adjusted rate is directly standardised across twenty-five age and mileage bands and reweighted onto the national distribution, so this model is compared against cars that have lived a similar life rather than against a younger or lighter-used fleet.

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.