Is the Vauxhall Adam reliable?

On MOT evidence the Vauxhall Adam is well below average. It passes 64.0% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 61% 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 do testers most often warn about on a Vauxhall Adam?

The most common advisory is "A tyre seriously damaged", noted on 23.1% of all Vauxhall Adam tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Vauxhall Adam usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 56,292 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 Vauxhall Adam get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 71.2% of Vauxhall Adam tests pass. By 12 to 14 years, that falls to 63.0%. 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

Vauxhall Adam MOT pass rate & common failures

From 58,761 recorded MOT tests of the Vauxhall Adam, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Vauxhall Adam passes 64.0% 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 below average. Based on 58,761 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, which appears in 29.7% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 56,292 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

64.0%national average72.3%unadjusted65.7%range covered61%

The Adam is 8.3 percentage points below the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is well below average. The unadjusted figure is 65.7%; 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 Vauxhall Adam tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc29.7%
5,133 occurrencesSteering rack gaiter split, damaged or missing explained
2.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage25.8%
4,461 occurrencesShock absorber defective explained
3.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened21.0%
3,630 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
4.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements9.9%
1,713 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
5.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded6.8%
1,177 occurrencesSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
6.Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc6.7%
1,163 occurrencesSteering rack gaiter split, damaged or missing explained
7.Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction6.2%
1,066 occurrencesEngine management light on, or not working explained
8.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen5.9%
1,023 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
9.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm5.3%
909 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
10.A tyre seriously damaged4.2%
734 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Vauxhall Adam tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1.A tyre seriously damaged23.1%
13,591 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
2.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage22.0%
12,916 testsShock absorber defective explained
3.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements19.3%
11,328 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
4.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured9.6%
5,625 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
5.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm6.4%
3,740 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
6.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded5.0%
2,942 testsSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
7.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn4.8%
2,833 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
8.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened4.4%
2,614 testsRoad spring broken or fractured explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

6–8 yrs71%

9–11 yrs63%

12–14 yrs63%

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

What gets tested

The Adam fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 56,292
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol100.0%

Check a specific Vauxhall Adam

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

Compare within the range

Other Vauxhall models

Vauxhall Corsa — 64.4% adjusted
Vauxhall Astra — 71.0% adjusted
Vauxhall Mokka — 68.6% adjusted
Vauxhall Vivaro — 62.2% adjusted
Vauxhall Insignia — 72.5% adjusted
Vauxhall Zafira — 66.0% adjusted
All Vauxhall models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Jaguar F-Pace — 84.6% adjusted, ranked 22
Mazda 6 — 73.3% adjusted, ranked 132
Peugeot Expert — 68.2% adjusted, ranked 193
Toyota Avensis — 75.2% adjusted, ranked 107

Common questions

Is the Vauxhall Adam reliable?: On MOT evidence the Vauxhall Adam is well below average. It passes 64.0% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 61% 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 Vauxhall Adam?: The item recorded most often is "Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc", which appears in 29.7% of failed Vauxhall Adam 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 Vauxhall Adam?: The most common advisory is "A tyre seriously damaged", noted on 23.1% of all Vauxhall Adam tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Vauxhall Adam usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 56,292 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 Vauxhall Adam get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 71.2% of Vauxhall Adam tests pass. By 12 to 14 years, that falls to 63.0%. 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.