Is the Vauxhall Zafira reliable?

On MOT evidence the Vauxhall Zafira is well below average. It passes 66.0% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 84% 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 Zafira?

The item recorded most often is "A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened", which appears in 20.2% of failed Vauxhall Zafira 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 Zafira?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 32.0% of all Vauxhall Zafira tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

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

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 95,557 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 Zafira get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 74.8% of Vauxhall Zafira tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 52.9%. 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 Zafira models petrol or diesel?

Of the Vauxhall Zafira cars tested, 66% are petrol, 34% are diesel. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Vauxhall Zafira MOT pass rate & common failures

From 174,464 recorded MOT tests of the Vauxhall Zafira, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Vauxhall Zafira passes 66.0% 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 174,464 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, which appears in 20.2% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 95,557 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

66.0%national average72.3%unadjusted61.5%range covered84%

The Zafira is 6.3 percentage points below the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is well below average. The unadjusted figure is 61.5%; 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 Zafira 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 weakened20.2%
10,872 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
2.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm12.2%
6,549 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
3.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements12.0%
6,437 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
4.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn11.2%
6,012 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
5.Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction10.2%
5,463 occurrencesEngine management light on, or not working explained
6.A tyre cords visible or damaged9.8%
5,241 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
7.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning9.3%
4,985 occurrencesLamp not working explained
8.Exhaust system leaking or insecure8.0%
4,309 occurrencesExhaust leaking or insecure explained
9.The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements7.1%
3,820 occurrencesHeadlamp aim incorrect explained
10.A tyre seriously damaged6.4%
3,442 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Vauxhall Zafira 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 requirements32.0%
55,868 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users18.6%
32,368 tests
3.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured18.4%
32,150 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
4.A tyre seriously damaged14.6%
25,553 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
5.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm12.2%
21,329 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
6.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened11.5%
20,137 testsRoad spring broken or fractured explained
7.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn9.5%
16,508 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
8.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded9.3%
16,208 testsBrake pipe corroded explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

6–8 yrs75%

9–11 yrs68%

12–14 yrs60%

15+ yrs53%

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

What gets tested

The Zafira fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 95,557
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol66.0%
Diesel33.9%

Trim names grouped into this model (11)

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

ZAFIRA CDTI
ZAFIRA DESIGN
ZAFIRA DESIGN CDTI
ZAFIRA ELEGANCE
ZAFIRA ELITE CDTI
ZAFIRA ELITE TURBO
ZAFIRA SRI
ZAFIRA SRI CDTI
ZAFIRA SRI TURBO
ZAFIRA TOURER SRI CDTI
ZAFIRA TOURER SRI TURBO

Check a specific Vauxhall Zafira

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 Combo — 63.5% adjusted
All Vauxhall models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Volkswagen Passat — 77.9% adjusted, ranked 75
Ford Mondeo — 76.0% adjusted, ranked 96
Ford KA — 62.7% adjusted, ranked 240
Citroen Berlingo — 61.9% adjusted, ranked 247

Common questions

Is the Vauxhall Zafira reliable?: On MOT evidence the Vauxhall Zafira is well below average. It passes 66.0% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 84% 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 Zafira?: The item recorded most often is "A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened", which appears in 20.2% of failed Vauxhall Zafira 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 Zafira?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 32.0% of all Vauxhall Zafira tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Vauxhall Zafira usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 95,557 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 Zafira get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 74.8% of Vauxhall Zafira tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 52.9%. 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 Zafira models petrol or diesel?: Of the Vauxhall Zafira cars tested, 66% are petrol, 34% are diesel. 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.