Citroen Relay MOT pass rate & common failures

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

The Relay is 3.7 percentage points below the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is below average. The unadjusted figure is 64.7%; 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 Relay tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1. 1.The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired23.2%

   1,030 occurrencesSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained

2. 2.Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement17.4%

   774 occurrencesParking brake efficiency too low explained

3. 3.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn11.7%

   521 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained

4. 4.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage9.9%

   442 occurrencesShock absorber defective explained

5. 5.Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced9.2%

   408 occurrencesCorrosion in a structural area explained

6. 6.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen9.2%

   408 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained

7. 7.The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements8.3%

   369 occurrencesHeadlamp aim incorrect explained

8. 8.Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake8.0%

   354 occurrencesBrake binding or imbalanced across an axle explained

9. 9.A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc7.8%

   349 occurrencesDriveshaft CV joint gaiter split or missing explained

10. 10.Parking brake efficiency less than 50% of the required value7.5%

    332 occurrencesParking brake efficiency too low explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

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

1. 1.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn12.9%

   1,924 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained

2. 2.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users11.4%

   1,712 tests

3. 3.A tyre seriously damaged11.2%

   1,680 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained

4. 4.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured11.1%

   1,660 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained

5. 5.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements10.6%

   1,583 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained

6. 6.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage8.5%

   1,273 testsShock absorber defective explained

7. 7.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm6.2%

   933 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained

8. 8.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded3.9%

   588 testsBrake pipe corroded explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

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

What gets tested

The Relay fleet

Average mileage recorded at test

96,858

Across examples of every age, so this is a description of the fleet rather than an annual figure.

Fuel mix of tested cars

Diesel99.8%

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

• Subaru Forester — 75.1% adjusted, ranked 110
• Dacia Logan — 72.6% adjusted, ranked 136
• Porsche Cayman — 87.2% adjusted, ranked 12
• Lexus IS — 84.3% adjusted, ranked 25

Common questions

Is the Citroen Relay reliable?

On MOT evidence the Citroen Relay is below average. It passes 68.6% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 188 of 262 models with enough data for a fair comparison. 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 Relay?

The item recorded most often is "The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired", which appears in 23.2% of failed Citroen Relay 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 Relay?

The most common advisory is "A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn", noted on 12.9% of all Citroen Relay tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

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

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 96,858 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 Relay get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 80.4% of Citroen Relay tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 55.9%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

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.

Further reading

Make sense of the numbers

• How to judge reliability from evidence rather than reputation
• What counts as high or low mileage for a car’s age
• The most common MOT failures and how to avoid them
• What to check before buying a used Citroen