Citroen DS3 MOT failures and reliability
In 2023 the Citroen DS3 took 74,763 MOT tests in Britain and passed 53% of them first time, below 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
- 74,763
- First-time pass rate
- 53%
- All cars
- 71%
What the DS3 fails on
Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.
- Lights and electrics20.5% (all cars 11.3%)
- Suspension16.9% (all cars 9.0%)
- Body and structure15.0% (all cars 3.5%)
- Tyres9.0% (all cars 6.4%)
- Brakes7.6% (all cars 6.8%)
- Visibility7.2% (all cars 4.8%)
- Steering6.2% (all cars 1.8%)
- Exhaust and emissions4.5% (all cars 3.1%)
Most common failure items
Share of tests on which each item was recorded.
- Coil spring: fractured or broken 11.4%
- Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt 10.5%
- Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play 5.7%
- Position lamp: not working 5.6%
- Headlamp: not working on dipped beam 4.6%
- Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 4.0%
- Exhaust system: system insecure 3.4%
- Stop lamp: not working 3.3%
Most common advisories
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 21.2%
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 20.5%
- Exhaust system: mounting defective 10.9%
- Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 8.9%
- Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement 6.6%
- Brake pads: wearing thin 6.5%
- Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive 5.6%
- Track rod end: ball joint has slight play 4.8%
Pass rate by year of registration
Older cars fail more often whatever the model, so compare a car with others of the same age.
| First registered | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 4,253 | 50% |
| 2011 | 9,736 | 49% |
| 2012 | 15,064 | 49% |
| 2013 | 18,463 | 53% |
| 2014 | 18,282 | 55% |
| 2015 | 8,640 | 58% |
Typical mileage by age
Average odometer reading at the MOT, by the car's age in years at the test.
| Age at test | Average mileage |
|---|---|
| 7 years | 52,373 miles |
| 8 years | 59,371 miles |
| 9 years | 66,585 miles |
| 10 years | 73,611 miles |
| 11 years | 81,069 miles |
| 12 years | 87,759 miles |
| 13 years | 93,012 miles |
Check a particular DS3
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 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 2CV
- 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.