Citroen 2CV MOT failures and reliability

In 2023 the Citroen 2CV took 2,688 MOT tests in Britain and passed 70% of them first time, close to 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

2,688

First-time pass rate

70%

All cars

71%

What the 2CV fails on

Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.

• Lights and electrics19.5% (all cars 11.3%)
• Suspension7.7% (all cars 9.0%)
• Brakes6.9% (all cars 6.8%)
• Body and structure6.4% (all cars 3.5%)
• Exhaust and emissions5.5% (all cars 3.1%)
• Visibility4.5% (all cars 4.8%)
• Seat belts and airbags3.4% (all cars 1.0%)
• Tyres1.9% (all cars 6.4%)

Most common failure items

Share of tests on which each item was recorded.

1. Rear fog lamp: not working 5.1%
2. Position lamp: not working 4.4%
3. Non catalyst emissions: emissions carbon monoxide content excessive 4.1%
4. Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect 3.7%
5. Headlamp aim: too low 3.0%
6. Headlamp: not working on dipped beam 2.6%
7. Prescribed areas: prescribed area strength or continuity significantly reduced 2.4%
8. Individual direction indicators: not working 2.2%

Most common advisories

1. Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive 14.0%
2. Exhaust system: has a minor leak of exhaust gases 5.4%
3. Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 5.1%
4. Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 4.9%
5. Wheel bearings: slightly noisy 4.2%
6. Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material 4.1%
7. Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement 3.8%
8. Swivel pins and bushes: swivel pin and/or bush slightly worn 3.7%

Pass rate by year of registration

Older cars fail more often whatever the model, so compare a car with others of the same age.

Check a particular 2CV

Model figures tell you what to look out for. To see one car's own MOT history, mileage and tax, enter its registration.

Other Citroen models

• Citroen C3
• Citroen Berlingo
• Citroen C1
• Citroen C4
• Citroen DS3
• Citroen Dispatch
• Citroen Xsara
• Citroen C3 Aircross
• Citroen C5
• Citroen C4 Cactus
• Citroen Nemo
• Citroen C4 Grand Picasso
• Citroen Relay
• Citroen C2
• Citroen DS4
• Citroen C4 Picasso
• Citroen C3 Picasso
• Citroen Grand C4 Picasso
• Citroen Saxo
• Citroen DS5
• Citroen Berlingo Multispace
• Citroen Spacetourer
• Citroen C Crosser
• Citroen C8
• Citroen C15

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.