How reliable is the Vauxhall Frontera compared with other cars?

We do not publish a comparison for the Vauxhall Frontera, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages.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 67.6% across 527 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 Frontera?

The item recorded most often is "Body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point", which appears in 17.5% of failed Vauxhall Frontera 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 Frontera?

The most common advisory is "Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded", noted on 36.1% of all Vauxhall Frontera tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

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

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 102,375 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 Frontera models petrol or diesel?

Of the Vauxhall Frontera cars tested, 50% are petrol, 49% are diesel, 1% are lpg. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Vauxhall Frontera MOT pass rate & common failures

From 527 recorded MOT tests of the Vauxhall Frontera, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

Across 527 MOT tests, 67.6% of Vauxhall Frontera tests ended in a pass. This figure is not adjusted for age or mileage, so it is not a reliability ranking: the Vauxhall Frontera 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 body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point, which appears in 17.5% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 102,375 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Recorded pass rate

67.6%unadjusted, not comparable527 tests

We are not publishing a ranking for the Frontera. 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 527 tests and are worth reading on their own terms.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

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

1.Body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point17.5%
25 occurrencesCorrosion in a structural area explained
2.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded15.4%
22 occurrencesBrake pipe corroded explained
3.A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc14.0%
20 occurrencesDriveshaft CV joint gaiter split or missing explained
4.Exhaust system leaking or insecure11.2%
16 occurrencesExhaust leaking or insecure explained
5.The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired9.8%
14 occurrencesSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
6.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc9.1%
13 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
7.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen9.1%
13 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
8.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements9.1%
13 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
9.The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any seat belt anchorage (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired8.4%
12 occurrencesSeat belt anchorage corroded or weakened explained
10.Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake8.4%
12 occurrencesBrake binding or imbalanced across an axle explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Vauxhall Frontera 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 pipe damaged or excessively corroded36.1%
190 testsBrake pipe corroded explained
2.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users19.9%
105 tests
3.A wheel bearing with excessive play18.4%
97 testsWheel bearing has excessive play or is rough explained
4.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured14.6%
77 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
5.A tyre seriously damaged11.0%
58 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
6.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened11.0%
58 testsRoad spring broken or fractured explained
7.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements10.4%
55 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
8.Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced8.5%
45 testsCorrosion in a structural area explained

The rest of the record

Everything else recorded on the Vauxhall Frontera

The 19 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 Frontera fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 102,375
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol50.3%
Diesel49.0%
LPG0.8%

Check a specific Vauxhall Frontera

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 Frontera compared with other cars?: We do not publish a comparison for the Vauxhall Frontera, 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 67.6% across 527 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 Frontera?: The item recorded most often is "Body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point", which appears in 17.5% of failed Vauxhall Frontera 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 Frontera?: The most common advisory is "Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded", noted on 36.1% of all Vauxhall Frontera tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Vauxhall Frontera usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 102,375 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 Frontera models petrol or diesel?: Of the Vauxhall Frontera cars tested, 50% are petrol, 49% are diesel, 1% are lpg. 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.