Is the Nissan Navara reliable?

On MOT evidence the Nissan Navara 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 186 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 Nissan Navara?

The item recorded most often is "A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened", which appears in 29.0% of failed Nissan Navara 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 Navara?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 22.4% of all Nissan Navara tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

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

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 95,763 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 Navara get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 80.8% of Nissan Navara tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 56.2%. 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 Navara MOT pass rate & common failures

From 69,014 recorded MOT tests of the Nissan Navara, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Nissan Navara passes 68.6% 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, ranking it 186 of 262 models with enough data to compare fairly. Based on 69,014 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, which appears in 29.0% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 95,763 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

68.6%national average72.3%unadjusted67.0%range covered99%rank186 of 262

The Navara 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 67.0%; 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 Nissan Navara 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 weakened29.0%
5,516 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
2.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn12.9%
2,455 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
3.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements11.8%
2,240 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 functioning11.3%
2,144 occurrencesLamp not working explained
5.Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction11.1%
2,118 occurrencesEngine management light on, or not working explained
6.A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play10.3%
1,953 occurrencesBall joint worn explained
7.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded8.7%
1,656 occurrencesBrake pipe corroded explained
8.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm8.6%
1,639 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
9.A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc7.2%
1,375 occurrencesDriveshaft CV joint gaiter split or missing explained
10.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen7.2%
1,359 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Nissan Navara 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 requirements22.4%
15,480 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded11.5%
7,963 testsBrake pipe corroded explained
3.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users8.9%
6,161 tests
4.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm8.9%
6,118 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
5.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured8.8%
6,060 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
6.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn8.1%
5,589 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
7.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn5.5%
3,792 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
8.A tyre seriously damaged4.1%
2,812 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs81%

6–8 yrs71%

9–11 yrs65%

12–14 yrs56%

15+ yrs56%

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

What gets tested

The Navara fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 95,763
Fuel mix of tested cars: Diesel100.0%

Check a specific Nissan Navara

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 Leaf — 72.0% adjusted
All Nissan models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Renault Kadjar — 74.0% adjusted, ranked 121
Volkswagen Touran — 75.1% adjusted, ranked 111
Citroen DS3 — 51.9% adjusted, ranked 262
Ford S-Max — 71.4% adjusted, ranked 156

Common questions

Is the Nissan Navara reliable?: On MOT evidence the Nissan Navara 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 186 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 Nissan Navara?: The item recorded most often is "A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened", which appears in 29.0% of failed Nissan Navara 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 Navara?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 22.4% of all Nissan Navara tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Nissan Navara usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 95,763 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 Navara get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 80.8% of Nissan Navara tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 56.2%. 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.