Citroen Relay MOT failures and reliability

In 2023 the Citroen Relay took 14,317 MOT tests in Britain and passed 64% 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: 14,317
First-time pass rate: 64%
All cars: 71%

What the Relay fails on

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

Lights and electrics18.4% (all cars 11.3%)
Brakes13.4% (all cars 6.8%)
Suspension12.2% (all cars 9.0%)
Body and structure7.7% (all cars 3.5%)
Visibility7.5% (all cars 4.8%)
Exhaust and emissions4.4% (all cars 3.1%)
Tyres3.8% (all cars 6.4%)
Seat belts and airbags2.3% (all cars 1.0%)

Most common failure items

Share of tests on which each item was recorded.

Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements 4.6%
Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength 3.8%
Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively 3.1%
Headlamp: not working on dipped beam 3.1%
Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps 2.7%
Position lamp: not working 2.5%
Service brake performance: excessively binding 2.5%
Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction 2.4%

Most common advisories

Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive 10.5%
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 10.2%
Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 7.9%
Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement 7.4%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 7.0%
Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil 6.1%
Brake pads: wearing thin 5.7%
Service brake performance: binding but not excessively 3.2%

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
2003	300	55%
2004	346	49%
2005	494	48%
2006	859	52%
2007	980	51%
2008	913	57%
2009	616	57%
2010	779	61%
2011	652	61%
2012	685	66%
2013	776	68%
2014	1,004	65%
2015	1,301	69%
2016	1,296	73%
2017	1,167	71%
2018	616	77%
2019	552	79%
2020	350	85%

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
3 years	31,690 miles
4 years	40,455 miles
5 years	52,648 miles
6 years	74,771 miles
7 years	80,173 miles
8 years	91,648 miles
9 years	98,420 miles
10 years	100,909 miles
11 years	106,063 miles
12 years	115,193 miles
13 years	118,115 miles
14 years	121,105 miles
15 years	123,280 miles
16 years	122,347 miles
17 years	115,126 miles
18 years	108,435 miles
19 years	97,939 miles
20 years	98,159 miles

Check a particular Relay

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

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.