Citroen Xsara MOT failures and reliability
In 2023 the Citroen Xsara took 34,781 MOT tests in Britain and passed 50% 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
- 34,781
- First-time pass rate
- 50%
- All cars
- 71%
What the Xsara fails on
Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.
- Lights and electrics25.4% (all cars 11.3%)
- Suspension18.6% (all cars 9.0%)
- Body and structure14.5% (all cars 3.5%)
- Brakes10.3% (all cars 6.8%)
- Seat belts and airbags8.2% (all cars 1.0%)
- Tyres7.9% (all cars 6.4%)
- Visibility7.4% (all cars 4.8%)
- Exhaust and emissions6.1% (all cars 3.1%)
Most common failure items
Share of tests on which each item was recorded.
- Position lamp: not working 7.3%
- Stop lamp: not working 7.0%
- Prescribed areas: prescribed area strength or continuity significantly reduced 6.7%
- Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt 5.7%
- Headlamp: not working on dipped beam 3.7%
- Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 3.4%
- Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength 3.2%
- Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt 3.2%
Most common advisories
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 22.7%
- Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 12.2%
- Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material 11.7%
- Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive 11.3%
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 8.9%
- Exhaust system: has a minor leak of exhaust gases 6.2%
- Brake pads: wearing thin 5.0%
- Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread 4.7%
Pass rate by year of registration
Older cars fail more often whatever the model, so compare a car with others of the same age.
| First registered | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 303 | 46% |
| 2001 | 1,142 | 50% |
| 2002 | 1,844 | 52% |
| 2003 | 2,577 | 48% |
| 2004 | 3,919 | 51% |
| 2005 | 4,376 | 47% |
| 2006 | 6,723 | 51% |
| 2007 | 6,194 | 49% |
| 2008 | 3,414 | 49% |
| 2009 | 2,751 | 54% |
| 2010 | 1,348 | 54% |
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 |
|---|---|
| 13 years | 88,997 miles |
| 14 years | 91,107 miles |
| 15 years | 99,247 miles |
| 16 years | 100,802 miles |
| 17 years | 99,486 miles |
| 18 years | 107,780 miles |
| 19 years | 111,632 miles |
| 20 years | 113,965 miles |
Check a particular Xsara
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 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.