How reliable is the Jaguar XK compared with other cars?

We do not publish a comparison for the Jaguar XK, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages.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 80.4% across 8,184 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 do testers most often warn about on a Jaguar XK?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 16.7% of all Jaguar XK tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

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

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 65,695 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 XK get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 9 to 11 years old, 89.7% of Jaguar XK tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 76.1%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Model reliability file

Jaguar XK MOT pass rate & common failures

From 8,184 recorded MOT tests of the Jaguar XK, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

Across 8,184 MOT tests, 80.4% of Jaguar XK tests ended in a pass. This figure is not adjusted for age or mileage, so it is not a reliability ranking: the Jaguar XK 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 suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, which appears in 34.4% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 65,695 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Recorded pass rate

80.4%unadjusted, not comparable8,184 tests

We are not publishing a ranking for the XK. 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 8,184 tests and are worth reading on their own terms.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

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

1.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc34.4%
484 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
2.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc21.1%
297 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
3.Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc16.4%
230 occurrencesSteering rack gaiter split, damaged or missing explained
4.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc14.0%
197 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
5.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn8.6%
121 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
6.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc8.1%
114 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
7.A tyre seriously damaged7.3%
102 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
8.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements6.5%
92 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
9.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen6.1%
86 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
10.A tyre cords visible or damaged6.0%
84 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Jaguar XK 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 requirements16.7%
1,368 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A tyre seriously damaged11.8%
963 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
3.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn9.4%
773 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
4.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured7.8%
637 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
5.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded7.7%
628 testsSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
6.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm5.4%
442 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
7.A brake hose ferrule excessively corroded4.5%
371 testsBrake hose deteriorated, damaged or chafing explained
8.A wheel badly distorted or wear between wheel and hub at spigot mounting4.2%
341 testsRoad wheel damaged, distorted or cracked explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

9–11 yrs90%

12–14 yrs85%

15+ yrs76%

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

What gets tested

The XK fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 65,695
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol99.9%

Trim names grouped into this model (15)

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

XK 120 OTS
XK 120 SE
XK 140
XK 140 MKII
XK 140 SE
XK 150
XK 150 S
XK 150S
XK 5.0 COUPE
XK 8
XK COUPE
XK DYNAMIC R AUTO
XK PORTFOLIO AUTO
XK R
XK V8 2DR AUTO

Check a specific Jaguar XK

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 XE — 82.0% adjusted
Jaguar E-Pace — 87.3% unadjusted
Jaguar I-Pace — 91.5% unadjusted
Jaguar XJ — 79.9% adjusted
All Jaguar models

Common questions

How reliable is the Jaguar XK compared with other cars?: We do not publish a comparison for the Jaguar XK, 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 80.4% across 8,184 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 Jaguar XK?: The item recorded most often is "A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc", which appears in 34.4% of failed Jaguar XK 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 XK?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 16.7% of all Jaguar XK tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Jaguar XK usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 65,695 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 XK get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 9 to 11 years old, 89.7% of Jaguar XK tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 76.1%. 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. 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.