Is the Jaguar XE reliable?

On MOT evidence the Jaguar XE is well above average. It passes 82.0% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 62% 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 Jaguar XE?

The item recorded most often is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", which appears in 20.0% of failed Jaguar XE 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 Jaguar XE?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 25.8% of all Jaguar XE tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Jaguar XE usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 65,723 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 Jaguar XE get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 84.5% of Jaguar XE tests pass. By 9 to 11 years, that falls to 79.5%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most Jaguar XE models petrol or diesel?

Of the Jaguar XE cars tested, 70% are diesel, 30% are petrol. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Jaguar XE MOT pass rate & common failures

From 42,718 recorded MOT tests of the Jaguar XE, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Jaguar XE passes 82.0% 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 well above average. Based on 42,718 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, which appears in 20.0% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 65,723 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

82.0%national average72.3%unadjusted81.0%range covered62%

The XE is 9.7 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is well above average. The unadjusted figure is 81.0%; 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 Jaguar XE 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 requirements20.0%
1,316 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm14.1%
926 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
3.Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning12.5%
820 occurrencesStop lamp not working explained
4.A tyre seriously damaged11.2%
738 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
5.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen9.1%
597 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
6.A tyre cords visible or damaged8.9%
585 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
7.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened7.3%
480 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
8.A tyre seriously damaged6.6%
434 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
9.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage6.0%
391 occurrencesShock absorber defective explained
10.Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction5.6%
367 occurrencesEngine management light on, or not working explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Jaguar XE 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 requirements25.8%
11,006 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured20.0%
8,550 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
3.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm12.4%
5,310 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
4.A tyre seriously damaged9.2%
3,936 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
5.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn5.1%
2,191 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
6.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements3.3%
1,390 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
7.A tyre seriously damaged2.7%
1,163 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
8.A wheel badly distorted or wear between wheel and hub at spigot mounting2.0%
867 testsRoad wheel damaged, distorted or cracked explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs85%

6–8 yrs82%

9–11 yrs80%

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

What gets tested

The XE fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 65,723
Fuel mix of tested cars: Diesel70.0%
Petrol30.0%

Trim names grouped into this model (14)

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

XE 300SPORT
XE P250 S
XE PORTFOLIO I AUTO
XE R-DYNAMIC BLACK AUTO
XE R-DYNAMIC BLACK D MHEV AUTO
XE R-DYNAMIC HSE BLACK AUTO
XE R-DYNAMIC HSE D MHEV AUTO
XE R-DYNAMIC S D MHEV AUTO
XE R-DYNAMIC SE BLACK D MHEV A
XE R-DYNAMIC SE D MHEV AUTO
XE R-SPORT
XE S
XE S D MHEV AUTO
XE SPORT AWD AUTO

Check a specific Jaguar XE

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

Compare within the range

Other Jaguar models

Jaguar XF — 77.9% adjusted
Jaguar F-Pace — 84.6% adjusted
Jaguar E-Pace — 87.3% unadjusted
Jaguar I-Pace — 91.5% unadjusted
Jaguar XJ — 79.9% adjusted
Jaguar X-Type — 59.0% unadjusted
All Jaguar models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Smart (mcc) Fortwo — 68.0% adjusted, ranked 196
Fiat Doblo — 65.4% adjusted, ranked 218
Volkswagen Beetle — 63.4% adjusted, ranked 237
Suzuki Alto — 58.8% adjusted, ranked 258

Common questions

Is the Jaguar XE reliable?: On MOT evidence the Jaguar XE is well above average. It passes 82.0% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 62% 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 Jaguar XE?: The item recorded most often is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", which appears in 20.0% of failed Jaguar XE 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 Jaguar XE?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 25.8% of all Jaguar XE tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Jaguar XE usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 65,723 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 Jaguar XE get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 84.5% of Jaguar XE tests pass. By 9 to 11 years, that falls to 79.5%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.
Are most Jaguar XE models petrol or diesel?: Of the Jaguar XE cars tested, 70% are diesel, 30% 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.