Is the Porsche Cayenne reliable?

On MOT evidence the Porsche Cayenne is well above average. It passes 85.3% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 18 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 Porsche Cayenne?

The item recorded most often is "A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened", which appears in 21.6% of failed Porsche Cayenne 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 Porsche Cayenne?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 20.6% of all Porsche Cayenne tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Porsche Cayenne usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 78,904 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 Porsche Cayenne get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 92.7% of Porsche Cayenne tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 74.6%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most Porsche Cayenne models petrol or diesel?

Of the Porsche Cayenne cars tested, 43% are petrol, 39% are diesel, 18% are hybrid. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Porsche Cayenne MOT pass rate & common failures

From 31,777 recorded MOT tests of the Porsche Cayenne, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Porsche Cayenne passes 85.3% 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, ranking it 18 of 262 models with enough data to compare fairly. Based on 31,777 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, which appears in 21.6% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 78,904 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

85.3%national average72.3%unadjusted85.2%range covered99%rank18 of 262

The Cayenne is 13.0 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is well above average. The unadjusted figure is 85.2%; 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 Porsche Cayenne 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 weakened21.6%
833 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
2.A tyre seriously damaged16.4%
632 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
3.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements14.9%
574 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
4.A tyre cords visible or damaged10.1%
389 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
5.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm8.3%
319 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
6.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen5.8%
222 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
7.A tyre seriously damaged5.2%
202 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
8.Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction5.2%
199 occurrencesEngine management light on, or not working explained
9.A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED4.9%
187 occurrencesHeadlamp not working explained
10.Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements4.7%
182 occurrencesRegistration plate missing, insecure or illegible explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Porsche Cayenne 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 requirements20.6%
6,541 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm12.3%
3,897 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
3.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured6.1%
1,943 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
4.A tyre seriously damaged5.6%
1,788 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
5.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users4.7%
1,479 tests
6.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn3.8%
1,201 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
7.Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn3.3%
1,041 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
8.A tyre seriously damaged3.1%
1,000 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs93%

6–8 yrs90%

9–11 yrs85%

12–14 yrs83%

15+ yrs75%

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

What gets tested

The Cayenne fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 78,904
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol43.0%
Diesel39.2%
Hybrid17.6%

Trim names grouped into this model (32)

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

CAYENNE D V6 PLAT ED TIPTRONIC
CAYENNE GTS
CAYENNE GTS AUTO
CAYENNE GTS PORSCHE DESIGN EDITION 3
CAYENNE GTS TIPTRONIC S
CAYENNE GTS V8 TIPTRONIC S A
CAYENNE HYBRID
CAYENNE HYBRID TIP S
CAYENNE S
CAYENNE S HYBRID
CAYENNE S HYBRID TIP S
CAYENNE S TIPTRONIC
CAYENNE S TURBO AUTO
CAYENNE TIPTRONIC
CAYENNE TIPTRONIC S
CAYENNE TIPTRONIC S D
CAYENNE TURBO
CAYENNE TURBO AUTO
CAYENNE TURBO E-HYBRID AUTO
CAYENNE TURBO GT
CAYENNE TURBO GT AUTO
CAYENNE TURBO S A
CAYENNE TURBO S E-HYBRID AUTO
CAYENNE V6 D TIPTRONIC
CAYENNE V6 DIESEL TIP S
CAYENNE V6 PLATINUM ED EHYB A
CAYENNE V6 PLATINUM EDITION A
CAYENNE V6 S PLATINUM ED AUTO
CAYENNE V6 TIPTRONIC S
CAYENNE V8 S TIPTRONIC S
CAYENNE V8 TURBO TIP S
CAYENNE V8 TURBO TIPTRONIC S

Check a specific Porsche Cayenne

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

Compare within the range

Other Porsche models

Porsche 911 — 89.5% adjusted
Porsche Macan — 89.5% adjusted
Porsche Boxster — 85.7% adjusted
Porsche Cayman — 87.2% adjusted
Porsche Taycan — 91.0% unadjusted
Porsche Panamera — 87.8% adjusted
All Porsche models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Lexus NX — 89.3% adjusted, ranked 5
Suzuki Ignis — 73.5% adjusted, ranked 127
Ford Transit Courier — 72.6% adjusted, ranked 138
Lexus CT — 85.0% adjusted, ranked 19

Common questions

Is the Porsche Cayenne reliable?: On MOT evidence the Porsche Cayenne is well above average. It passes 85.3% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 18 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 Porsche Cayenne?: The item recorded most often is "A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened", which appears in 21.6% of failed Porsche Cayenne 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 Porsche Cayenne?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 20.6% of all Porsche Cayenne tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Porsche Cayenne usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 78,904 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 Porsche Cayenne get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 92.7% of Porsche Cayenne tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 74.6%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.
Are most Porsche Cayenne models petrol or diesel?: Of the Porsche Cayenne cars tested, 43% are petrol, 39% are diesel, 18% are hybrid. 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.