How reliable is the Nissan Cube compared with other cars?

We do not publish a comparison for the Nissan Cube, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages.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 67.8% across 2,769 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 Nissan Cube?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 16.6% of all Nissan Cube tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Nissan Cube usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 90,468 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 Nissan Cube get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 66.7% of Nissan Cube tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 65.6%. 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

Nissan Cube MOT pass rate & common failures

From 2,769 recorded MOT tests of the Nissan Cube, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

Across 2,769 MOT tests, 67.8% of Nissan Cube tests ended in a pass. This figure is not adjusted for age or mileage, so it is not a reliability ranking: the Nissan Cube 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 lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, which appears in 18.8% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 90,468 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Recorded pass rate

67.8%unadjusted, not comparable2,769 tests

We are not publishing a ranking for the Cube. 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 2,769 tests and are worth reading on their own terms.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

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

1.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning18.8%
135 occurrencesLamp not working explained
2.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn18.5%
133 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
3.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn11.3%
81 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
4.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements8.9%
64 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
5.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm8.6%
62 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
6.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen8.1%
58 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
7.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc7.8%
56 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
8.An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning7.8%
56 occurrencesLamp not working explained
9.The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements7.4%
53 occurrencesHeadlamp aim incorrect explained
10.Front or rear fog lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements6.5%
47 occurrencesLamp of the wrong colour, position or intensity explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Nissan Cube 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 requirements16.6%
460 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn16.1%
445 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
3.A tyre seriously damaged14.6%
403 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
4.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured12.6%
349 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
5.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm9.8%
272 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
6.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened6.4%
176 testsRoad spring broken or fractured explained
7.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded5.0%
138 testsBrake pipe corroded explained
8.Product on the lens or light source which obviously reduces light intensity or changes emitted colour to other than white or yellow4.4%
123 testsLamp of the wrong colour, position or intensity explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

6–8 yrs67%

9–11 yrs70%

12–14 yrs79%

15+ yrs66%

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

What gets tested

The Cube fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 90,468
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol99.9%

Trim names grouped into this model (2)

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

CUBE 3
CUBE AUTO

Check a specific Nissan Cube

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

Compare within the range

Other Nissan models

Nissan Qashqai — 67.4% adjusted
Nissan Juke — 66.5% adjusted
Nissan Micra — 63.8% adjusted
Nissan Note — 65.9% adjusted
Nissan X-Trail — 70.5% adjusted
Nissan Navara — 68.6% adjusted
All Nissan models

Common questions

How reliable is the Nissan Cube compared with other cars?: We do not publish a comparison for the Nissan Cube, 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 67.8% across 2,769 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 Nissan Cube?: The item recorded most often is "A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning", which appears in 18.8% of failed Nissan Cube 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 Nissan Cube?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 16.6% of all Nissan Cube tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Nissan Cube usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 90,468 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 Nissan Cube get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 66.7% of Nissan Cube tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 65.6%. 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.