Jaguar S Type MOT failures and reliability

In 2023 the Jaguar S Type took 13,541 MOT tests in Britain and passed 63% 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: 13,541
First-time pass rate: 63%
All cars: 71%

What the S Type fails on

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

Suspension15.8% (all cars 9.0%)
Lights and electrics13.3% (all cars 11.3%)
Brakes11.5% (all cars 6.8%)
Tyres6.1% (all cars 6.4%)
Steering6.0% (all cars 1.8%)
Visibility5.7% (all cars 4.8%)
Exhaust and emissions5.3% (all cars 3.1%)
Body and structure3.8% (all cars 3.5%)

Most common failure items

Share of tests on which each item was recorded.

Ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt 6.1%
Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction 3.4%
Track rod end: ball joint dust cover excessively damaged or deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt 3.3%
Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt 2.8%
Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn 2.7%
Position lamp: not working 2.7%
Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively 2.5%
Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength 2.3%

Most common advisories

Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 15.9%
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material 12.1%
Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement 10.3%
Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive 10.1%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 9.8%
Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 8.5%
Brake pads: wearing thin 8.0%
Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened 7.4%

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
1999	519	61%
2000	858	63%
2001	849	62%
2002	1,311	58%
2003	1,647	64%
2004	2,076	63%
2005	1,930	63%
2006	1,983	65%
2007	2,283	64%

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
16 years	92,579 miles
17 years	98,199 miles
18 years	95,974 miles
19 years	94,332 miles
20 years	95,085 miles

Check a particular S Type

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

Other Jaguar 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.