Is the Skoda Yeti reliable?

On MOT evidence the Skoda Yeti is about average. It passes 72.3% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 84% 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 Skoda Yeti?

The item recorded most often is "A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn", which appears in 21.1% of failed Skoda Yeti 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 Skoda Yeti?

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

What mileage does a Skoda Yeti usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 79,040 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 Skoda Yeti get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 82.3% of Skoda Yeti tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 61.6%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most Skoda Yeti models petrol or diesel?

Of the Skoda Yeti cars tested, 56% are diesel, 44% are petrol. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Skoda Yeti MOT pass rate & common failures

From 74,815 recorded MOT tests of the Skoda Yeti, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Skoda Yeti passes 72.3% 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 about average. Based on 74,815 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, which appears in 21.1% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 79,040 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

72.3%national average72.3%unadjusted73.9%range covered84%

The Yeti is 0.0 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is about average. The unadjusted figure is 73.9%; 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 Skoda Yeti tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn21.1%
3,502 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
2.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened19.8%
3,294 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
3.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc9.6%
1,593 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
4.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm8.2%
1,357 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
5.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements7.4%
1,227 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
6.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded7.3%
1,219 occurrencesSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
7.A tyre seriously damaged7.0%
1,160 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
8.A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc6.9%
1,144 occurrencesDriveshaft CV joint gaiter split or missing explained
9.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage6.0%
1,000 occurrencesShock absorber defective explained
10.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning5.4%
896 occurrencesLamp not working explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Skoda Yeti 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%
15,382 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage16.5%
12,345 testsShock absorber defective explained
3.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured16.0%
11,958 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
4.A tyre seriously damaged14.4%
10,804 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
5.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded13.8%
10,293 testsSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
6.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm8.7%
6,522 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
7.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn7.6%
5,699 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
8.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded4.6%
3,417 testsSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

6–8 yrs82%

9–11 yrs76%

12–14 yrs69%

15+ yrs62%

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

What gets tested

The Yeti fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 79,040
Fuel mix of tested cars: Diesel56.2%
Petrol43.8%

Trim names grouped into this model (4)

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

YETI 4X4
YETI 4X4 TDI
YETI TDI 4X4
YETI TSI S-A

Check a specific Skoda Yeti

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

Compare within the range

Other Skoda models

Skoda Fabia — 70.5% adjusted
Skoda Octavia — 77.3% adjusted
Skoda Superb — 76.7% adjusted
Skoda Karoq — 89.0% unadjusted
Skoda Citigo — 75.1% adjusted
Skoda Kodiaq — 87.3% unadjusted
All Skoda models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Volvo XC90 — 77.6% adjusted, ranked 78
Toyota Hilux — 71.2% adjusted, ranked 158
Mitsubishi Outlander — 73.8% adjusted, ranked 124
Mercedes-Benz CLA — 78.6% adjusted, ranked 67

Common questions

Is the Skoda Yeti reliable?: On MOT evidence the Skoda Yeti is about average. It passes 72.3% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 84% 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 Skoda Yeti?: The item recorded most often is "A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn", which appears in 21.1% of failed Skoda Yeti 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 Skoda Yeti?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 20.6% of all Skoda Yeti tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Skoda Yeti usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 79,040 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 Skoda Yeti get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 82.3% of Skoda Yeti tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 61.6%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.
Are most Skoda Yeti models petrol or diesel?: Of the Skoda Yeti cars tested, 56% are diesel, 44% 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.