Is the Vauxhall Vivaro reliable?

On MOT evidence the Vauxhall Vivaro is well below average. It passes 62.2% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 244 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 Vivaro?

The item recorded most often is "A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play", which appears in 29.5% of failed Vauxhall Vivaro 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 Vivaro?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 20.2% of all Vauxhall Vivaro tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

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

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 114,221 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 Vivaro get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 73.8% of Vauxhall Vivaro tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 47.7%. 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 Vivaro MOT pass rate & common failures

From 182,252 recorded MOT tests of the Vauxhall Vivaro, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Vauxhall Vivaro passes 62.2% 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, ranking it 244 of 262 models with enough data to compare fairly. Based on 182,252 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, which appears in 29.5% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 114,221 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

62.2%national average72.3%unadjusted58.1%range covered99%rank244 of 262

The Vivaro is 10.1 percentage points below the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is well below average. The unadjusted figure is 58.1%; 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 Vivaro tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play29.5%
18,858 occurrencesBall joint worn explained
2.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn14.9%
9,526 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
3.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened12.8%
8,199 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
4.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn12.2%
7,803 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
5.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning11.6%
7,421 occurrencesLamp not working explained
6.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm10.7%
6,880 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
7.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen10.2%
6,499 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
8.Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement10.0%
6,407 occurrencesParking brake efficiency too low explained
9.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded9.3%
5,939 occurrencesBrake pipe corroded explained
10.A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps8.5%
5,445 occurrencesLamp not working explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Vauxhall Vivaro 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 requirements20.2%
36,848 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured17.6%
32,111 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
3.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded13.4%
24,480 testsBrake pipe corroded explained
4.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm12.1%
22,100 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
5.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users10.2%
18,639 tests
6.A tyre seriously damaged8.0%
14,622 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
7.A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play6.8%
12,407 testsBall joint worn explained
8.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage6.5%
11,836 testsShock absorber defective explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs74%

6–8 yrs66%

9–11 yrs57%

12–14 yrs47%

15+ yrs48%

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

What gets tested

The Vivaro fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 114,221
Fuel mix of tested cars: Diesel99.9%

Trim names grouped into this model (40)

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

VIVARO 2700 DYNAMIC S/S
VIVARO 2700 DYNAMIC S/S AUTO
VIVARO 2700 EDITION S/S
VIVARO 2700 ELITE S/S
VIVARO 2700 GRIFFIN ED S/S
VIVARO 2700 SPORTIVE S/S
VIVARO 2900
VIVARO 2900 DYNAMIC S/S
VIVARO 2900 EDITION S/S
VIVARO 2900 SPORT CDTI LW
VIVARO 2900 SPORTIVE S/S
VIVARO 3100 DYNAMIC S/S
VIVARO 3100 DYNAMIC S/S AUTO
VIVARO 3100 EDITION S/S
VIVARO 3100 ELITE S/S
VIVARO 3100 ELITE S/S AUTO
VIVARO 3100 GRIFFIN EDITION SS
VIVARO 3100 SPORTIVE S/S
VIVARO 3100 SPORTIVE S/S AUTO
VIVARO CDTI
VIVARO CDTI SPORTIVE
VIVARO F2700 DYNAMIC S/S
VIVARO F2700 PRIME S/S
VIVARO F2700 PRO S/S
VIVARO F2700 SPORTIVE S/S
VIVARO F2900 DYNAMIC S/S
VIVARO F2900 PRIME
VIVARO F2900 PRIME S/S
VIVARO F2900 PRO S/S
VIVARO F2900 SPORTIVE S/S
VIVARO F3100 DYNAMIC S/S
VIVARO F3100 DYNAMIC S/S AUTO
VIVARO F3100 ELITE S/S
VIVARO F3100 ELITE S/S AUTO
VIVARO F3100 GS S/S AUTO
VIVARO F3100 PRIME
VIVARO F3100 PRIME EV
VIVARO F3100 PRIME S/S
VIVARO F3100 PRIME S/S AUTO
VIVARO F3100 PRO

Check a specific Vauxhall Vivaro

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 Insignia — 72.5% adjusted
Vauxhall Zafira — 66.0% adjusted
Vauxhall Combo — 63.5% adjusted
All Vauxhall models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

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

Common questions

Is the Vauxhall Vivaro reliable?: On MOT evidence the Vauxhall Vivaro is well below average. It passes 62.2% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 244 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 Vivaro?: The item recorded most often is "A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play", which appears in 29.5% of failed Vauxhall Vivaro 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 Vivaro?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 20.2% of all Vauxhall Vivaro tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Vauxhall Vivaro usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 114,221 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 Vivaro get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 73.8% of Vauxhall Vivaro tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 47.7%. 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.