Caterham Seven MOT failures and reliability
In 2023 the Caterham Seven took 1,491 MOT tests in Britain and passed 85% of them first time, above the national average of 71% for all cars. The figures below come from the DVSA's record of every test, so they show what testers actually found on these cars rather than what owners report.
- MOT tests in 2023
- 1,491
- First-time pass rate
- 85%
- All cars
- 71%
What the Seven fails on
Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.
- Lights and electrics7.9% (all cars 11.3%)
- Exhaust and emissions3.5% (all cars 3.1%)
- Brakes2.8% (all cars 6.8%)
- Visibility2.0% (all cars 4.8%)
- Suspension1.5% (all cars 9.0%)
- Steering1.5% (all cars 1.8%)
- Number plates and VIN1.3% (all cars 0.4%)
- Tyres0.5% (all cars 6.4%)
Most common failure items
Share of tests on which each item was recorded.
- Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits 1.5%
- Rear fog lamp: not working 1.4%
- Stop lamp: all not working 1.2%
- Steering rack: gaiter missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt 1.1%
- Catalyst emissions: carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits 0.9%
- Position lamp: not working 0.9%
- Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements 0.9%
- Service brake performance: excessively binding 0.9%
Most common advisories
- Wheel bearings: has slight play 3.9%
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 3.8%
- Service brake performance: binding but not excessively 2.4%
- Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive 2.3%
- Linkage ball joints: ball joint has slight play 1.6%
- Transmission oil leaks: leak, but not excessive 1.5%
- Suspension arms, ball joint: ball joint has slight play 1.5%
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 1.3%
Check a particular Seven
Model figures tell you what to look out for. To see one car's own MOT history, mileage and tax, enter its registration.
Source: Department for Transport, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023, cars and light vans, normal tests only. Pass rates are first-time passes; a pass after repair at the test station counts as a fail. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.