Citroen MOT pass rates and reliability
We have 1,030,287 MOT tests on Citroen cars from 2023, covering 26 models with enough tests to compare. Choose a model to see what it fails on most often, how its pass rate changes with age and how far it is typically driven.
Across 1,030,287 MOT tests on Citroen cars in 2023, 63% passed first time, below the national average of 71% for all cars. Of the Citroen models with enough tests, the C3 Aircross did best at 87% and the C8 did least well at 46%. Newer models pass more often whatever the make, so compare cars of a similar age.
Citroen models
| Model | Tests | First-time pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| C3 | 197,768 | 65% |
| Berlingo | 185,905 | 58% |
| C1 | 168,777 | 71% |
| C4 | 142,514 | 61% |
| DS3 | 74,763 | 53% |
| Dispatch | 47,808 | 59% |
| Xsara | 34,781 | 50% |
| C3 Aircross | 25,212 | 87% |
| C5 | 22,263 | 73% |
| C4 Cactus | 21,126 | 76% |
| Nemo | 15,497 | 57% |
| C4 Grand Picasso | 14,663 | 71% |
| Relay | 14,317 | 64% |
| C2 | 13,852 | 52% |
| DS4 | 10,617 | 57% |
| C4 Picasso | 6,838 | 76% |
| C3 Picasso | 6,487 | 73% |
| Grand C4 Picasso | 5,265 | 49% |
| Saxo | 4,436 | 54% |
| DS5 | 4,410 | 62% |
| Berlingo Multispace | 3,228 | 75% |
| 2CV | 2,688 | 70% |
| Spacetourer | 2,590 | 77% |
| C Crosser | 2,021 | 55% |
| C8 | 1,295 | 46% |
| C15 | 1,166 | 50% |
What Citroen cars fail on
Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, across all models, against the figure for all cars.
- Lights and electrics18.0% (all cars 11.3%)
- Suspension10.5% (all cars 9.0%)
- Brakes8.2% (all cars 6.8%)
- Body and structure7.8% (all cars 3.5%)
- Tyres7.1% (all cars 6.4%)
- Visibility6.6% (all cars 4.8%)
- Exhaust and emissions3.6% (all cars 3.1%)
- Steering2.7% (all cars 1.8%)
Most common Citroen failure items
Share of tests on which each item was recorded.
- Position lamp: not working 4.6%
- Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt 4.4%
- Stop lamp: not working 3.9%
- Coil spring: fractured or broken 3.2%
- Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 3.1%
- Headlamp: not working on dipped beam 2.5%
- Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps 1.7%
- Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively 1.5%
Check a particular Citroen
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.