Is the DS DS3 reliable?

On MOT evidence the DS DS3 is below average. It passes 68.0% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 61% 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 DS DS3?

The item recorded most often is "A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened", which appears in 30.1% of failed DS DS3 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 DS DS3?

The most common advisory is "Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured", noted on 25.1% of all DS DS3 tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a DS DS3 usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 55,404 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 DS DS3 get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 81.4% of DS DS3 tests pass. By 9 to 11 years, that falls to 59.9%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most DS DS3 models petrol or diesel?

Of the DS DS3 cars tested, 73% are petrol, 27% are diesel. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

DS DS3 MOT pass rate & common failures

From 33,267 recorded MOT tests of the DS DS3, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The DS DS3 passes 68.0% 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 below average. Based on 33,267 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, which appears in 30.1% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 55,404 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

68.0%national average72.3%unadjusted65.6%range covered61%

The DS3 is 4.3 percentage points below the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is below average. The unadjusted figure is 65.6%; 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 DS DS3 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 weakened30.1%
2,787 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
2.A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc26.5%
2,456 occurrencesDriveshaft CV joint gaiter split or missing explained
3.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements13.7%
1,269 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
4.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning10.0%
923 occurrencesLamp not working explained
5.A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play8.8%
819 occurrencesBall joint worn explained
6.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen8.6%
793 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
7.Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn7.4%
684 occurrencesBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
8.A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED7.3%
679 occurrencesHeadlamp not working explained
9.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm7.1%
661 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
10.A tyre seriously damaged5.9%
551 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all DS DS3 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 fractured25.1%
8,338 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
2.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements23.4%
7,792 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
3.A tyre seriously damaged18.1%
6,026 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
4.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn9.3%
3,085 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
5.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm8.3%
2,773 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
6.Exhaust system leaking or insecure7.3%
2,425 testsExhaust leaking or insecure explained
7.Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn6.4%
2,132 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
8.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users5.0%
1,653 tests

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs81%

6–8 yrs70%

9–11 yrs60%

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

What gets tested

The DS3 fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 55,404
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol72.6%
Diesel27.3%

Trim names grouped into this model (4)

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

DS3 PERFORMANCE LINE ETENSE EV
DS3 PERFORMANCE LINE P-TECH SS
DS3 PURETECH PERF LINE S/S
DS3 RIVOLI PURETECH S/S AUTO

Check a specific DS DS3

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

Compare within the range

Other DS models

DS DS4 — 67.1% unadjusted
DS DS3 Crossback — 82.4% unadjusted
DS DS7 Crossback — 83.9% unadjusted
DS DS7 — 82.2% unadjusted
DS DS5 — 70.8% unadjusted
All DS models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Hyundai Santa FE — 72.2% adjusted, ranked 145
Mercedes-Benz GLE — 87.6% adjusted, ranked 11
Porsche Boxster — 85.7% adjusted, ranked 16
Renault Scenic — 61.8% adjusted, ranked 248

Common questions

Is the DS DS3 reliable?: On MOT evidence the DS DS3 is below average. It passes 68.0% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 61% 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 DS DS3?: The item recorded most often is "A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened", which appears in 30.1% of failed DS DS3 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 DS DS3?: The most common advisory is "Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured", noted on 25.1% of all DS DS3 tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a DS DS3 usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 55,404 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 DS DS3 get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 81.4% of DS DS3 tests pass. By 9 to 11 years, that falls to 59.9%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.
Are most DS DS3 models petrol or diesel?: Of the DS DS3 cars tested, 73% are petrol, 27% 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. 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.