Is the Vauxhall Insignia reliable?

On MOT evidence the Vauxhall Insignia is about average. It passes 72.5% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 139 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 Vauxhall Insignia?

The item recorded most often is "A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened", which appears in 25.6% of failed Vauxhall Insignia 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 Insignia?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 33.1% of all Vauxhall Insignia tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

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

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 103,571 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 Insignia get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 83.1% of Vauxhall Insignia tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 60.1%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most Vauxhall Insignia models petrol or diesel?

Of the Vauxhall Insignia cars tested, 82% are diesel, 18% are petrol. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Vauxhall Insignia MOT pass rate & common failures

From 180,886 recorded MOT tests of the Vauxhall Insignia, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Vauxhall Insignia passes 72.5% 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, ranking it 139 of 262 models with enough data to compare fairly. Based on 180,886 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, which appears in 25.6% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 103,571 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

72.5%national average72.3%unadjusted67.4%range covered99%rank139 of 262

The Insignia is 0.2 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is about average. The unadjusted figure is 67.4%; 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 Insignia 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 weakened25.6%
12,397 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
2.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements18.8%
9,089 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
3.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm14.9%
7,195 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
4.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn11.2%
5,424 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
5.A tyre cords visible or damaged8.1%
3,917 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
6.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen7.4%
3,588 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
7.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage7.0%
3,387 occurrencesShock absorber defective explained
8.A tyre seriously damaged6.2%
2,991 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
9.A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps5.9%
2,867 occurrencesLamp not working explained
10.A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED5.8%
2,828 occurrencesHeadlamp not working explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Vauxhall Insignia 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 requirements33.1%
59,940 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm12.8%
23,072 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
3.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn11.8%
21,286 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
4.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users10.2%
18,402 tests
5.A tyre seriously damaged10.1%
18,190 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
6.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured10.0%
18,023 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
7.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded9.6%
17,345 testsSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
8.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened6.4%
11,651 testsRoad spring broken or fractured explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs83%

6–8 yrs78%

9–11 yrs67%

12–14 yrs63%

15+ yrs60%

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

What gets tested

The Insignia fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 103,571
Fuel mix of tested cars: Diesel82.0%
Petrol18.0%

Trim names grouped into this model (25)

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

INSIGNIA CDTI
INSIGNIA DESIGN TURBO D
INSIGNIA DESIGN TURBO D AUTO
INSIGNIA ELITE
INSIGNIA ELITE CDTI
INSIGNIA ELITE NAV ECOTEC D
INSIGNIA GS LINE TURBO AUTO
INSIGNIA GS LINE TURBO D
INSIGNIA GS LINE TURBO D AUTO
INSIGNIA SE CDTI
INSIGNIA SE EDITION TURBO D
INSIGNIA SE EDITION TURBO D A
INSIGNIA SE NAV 160 CDTI
INSIGNIA SE NAV TURBO D
INSIGNIA SE NAV TURBO D AUTO
INSIGNIA SRI
INSIGNIA SRI CDTI
INSIGNIA SRI PREMIUM TURBO A
INSIGNIA SRI PREMIUM TURBO D
INSIGNIA SRI PREMIUM TURBO D A
INSIGNIA SRI TURBO
INSIGNIA TURBO D SRI
INSIGNIA ULTIMATE NAV TUR D A
INSIGNIA ULTIMATE NAV TURBO A
INSIGNIA ULTIMATE NAV TURBO D

Check a specific Vauxhall Insignia

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 Zafira — 66.0% adjusted
Vauxhall Combo — 63.5% adjusted
All Vauxhall models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Citroen Berlingo — 61.9% adjusted, ranked 247
Seat Leon — 75.3% adjusted, ranked 105
Volkswagen Passat — 77.9% adjusted, ranked 75
Citroen C3 — 63.9% adjusted, ranked 230

Common questions

Is the Vauxhall Insignia reliable?: On MOT evidence the Vauxhall Insignia is about average. It passes 72.5% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 139 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 Vauxhall Insignia?: The item recorded most often is "A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened", which appears in 25.6% of failed Vauxhall Insignia 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 Insignia?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 33.1% of all Vauxhall Insignia tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Vauxhall Insignia usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 103,571 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 Insignia get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 83.1% of Vauxhall Insignia tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 60.1%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.
Are most Vauxhall Insignia models petrol or diesel?: Of the Vauxhall Insignia cars tested, 82% are diesel, 18% 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.