Nissan MOT pass rates and reliability
We have 1,612,098 MOT tests on Nissan cars from 2023, covering 28 models with enough tests to compare. Choose a model to see what it fails on most often, how its pass rate changes with age and how far it is typically driven.
Across 1,612,098 MOT tests on Nissan cars in 2023, 69% passed first time, close to the national average of 71% for all cars. Of the Nissan models with enough tests, the Skyline did best at 86% and the Primastar did least well at 47%. Newer models pass more often whatever the make, so compare cars of a similar age.
Nissan models
| Model | Tests | First-time pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| Qashqai | 554,926 | 71% |
| Juke | 297,879 | 71% |
| Micra | 255,896 | 64% |
| Note | 157,340 | 65% |
| X Trail | 94,627 | 71% |
| Navara | 71,404 | 67% |
| Leaf | 37,488 | 82% |
| NV200 | 26,156 | 57% |
| Pulsar | 21,418 | 76% |
| Almera | 18,132 | 56% |
| Elgrand | 12,855 | 68% |
| Pixo | 12,149 | 66% |
| Primastar | 10,218 | 47% |
| Pathfinder | 6,709 | 53% |
| 350 Z | 5,703 | 73% |
| E NV200 | 4,583 | 74% |
| Primera | 4,340 | 57% |
| Cube | 2,826 | 69% |
| Figaro | 2,638 | 61% |
| Serena | 2,109 | 74% |
| Skyline | 2,066 | 86% |
| Terrano | 2,007 | 53% |
| 370 Z | 1,869 | 85% |
| NV300 | 1,693 | 75% |
| Pickup | 1,602 | 57% |
| Kubistar | 1,207 | 51% |
| Murano | 1,132 | 60% |
| Patrol | 1,126 | 70% |
What Nissan cars fail on
Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, across all models, against the figure for all cars.
- Suspension12.2% (all cars 9.0%)
- Lights and electrics11.7% (all cars 11.3%)
- Brakes7.2% (all cars 6.8%)
- Visibility5.8% (all cars 4.8%)
- Tyres5.6% (all cars 6.4%)
- Steering3.7% (all cars 1.8%)
- Body and structure3.6% (all cars 3.5%)
- Exhaust and emissions2.7% (all cars 3.1%)
Most common Nissan failure items
Share of tests on which each item was recorded.
- Suspension arms, ball joint: ball joint excessively worn 4.3%
- Position lamp: not working 3.6%
- Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively 3.0%
- Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play 2.8%
- Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 2.5%
- Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick 2.3%
- Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn 2.0%
- Coil spring: fractured or broken 1.4%
Check a particular Nissan
Model figures tell you what to look out for. To see one car's own MOT history, mileage and tax, enter its registration.
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.