How reliable is the Vauxhall Ampera compared with other cars?

We do not publish a comparison for the Vauxhall Ampera, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages.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 68.6% across 1,149 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 Vauxhall Ampera?

The most common advisory is "Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured", noted on 27.8% of all Vauxhall Ampera tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

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

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 100,848 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.

Are most Vauxhall Ampera models petrol or diesel?

Of the Vauxhall Ampera cars tested, 80% are hybrid, 17% are electric, 1% are petrol. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Vauxhall Ampera MOT pass rate & common failures

From 1,149 recorded MOT tests of the Vauxhall Ampera, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

Across 1,149 MOT tests, 68.6% of Vauxhall Ampera tests ended in a pass. This figure is not adjusted for age or mileage, so it is not a reliability ranking: the Vauxhall Ampera 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 transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, which appears in 28.6% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 100,848 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Recorded pass rate

68.6%unadjusted, not comparable1,149 tests

We are not publishing a ranking for the Ampera. 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 1,149 tests and are worth reading on their own terms.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

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

1.A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc28.6%
91 occurrencesDriveshaft CV joint gaiter split or missing explained
2.Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction20.4%
65 occurrencesEngine management light on, or not working explained
3.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened14.8%
47 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
4.A direction indicator lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning11.9%
38 occurrencesDirection indicator not working explained
5.A tyre cords visible or damaged9.7%
31 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
6.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements7.9%
25 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
7.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm6.3%
20 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
8.A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED5.7%
18 occurrencesHeadlamp not working explained
9.The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements5.7%
18 occurrencesHeadlamp aim incorrect explained
10.Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn5.0%
16 occurrencesBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

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

1.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured27.8%
319 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
2.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements25.3%
291 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
3.A tyre seriously damaged16.1%
185 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
4.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements4.4%
51 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
5.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded4.1%
47 testsSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
6.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn3.9%
45 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
7.Fuel Pipe/s corroded3.4%
39 testsCorrosion in a structural area explained
8.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm3.4%
39 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained

The rest of the record

Everything else recorded on the Vauxhall Ampera

The 17 other defects testers recorded on this model, beyond the most common listed above. Each links to what it means and what it takes to put right.

What gets tested

The Ampera fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 100,848
Fuel mix of tested cars: Hybrid80.3%
Electric17.2%
Petrol1.4%
Other1.0%

Check a specific Vauxhall Ampera

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

Common questions

How reliable is the Vauxhall Ampera compared with other cars?: We do not publish a comparison for the Vauxhall Ampera, 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 68.6% across 1,149 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 Vauxhall Ampera?: The item recorded most often is "A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc", which appears in 28.6% of failed Vauxhall Ampera 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 Ampera?: The most common advisory is "Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured", noted on 27.8% of all Vauxhall Ampera tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Vauxhall Ampera usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 100,848 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.
Are most Vauxhall Ampera models petrol or diesel?: Of the Vauxhall Ampera cars tested, 80% are hybrid, 17% are electric, 1% 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. 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.