Nissan Pulsar MOT failures and reliability
In 2023 the Nissan Pulsar took 21,418 MOT tests in Britain and passed 76% of them first time, above 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
- 21,418
- First-time pass rate
- 76%
- All cars
- 71%
What the Pulsar fails on
Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.
- Suspension9.2% (all cars 9.0%)
- Tyres6.4% (all cars 6.4%)
- Brakes6.2% (all cars 6.8%)
- Lights and electrics4.5% (all cars 11.3%)
- Steering2.6% (all cars 1.8%)
- Visibility2.0% (all cars 4.8%)
- Exhaust and emissions1.5% (all cars 3.1%)
- Body and structure0.6% (all cars 3.5%)
Most common failure items
Share of tests on which each item was recorded.
- Suspension arms, ball joint: ball joint excessively worn 4.4%
- Coil spring: fractured or broken 3.9%
- Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick 3.2%
- Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 3.0%
- Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play 2.3%
- Position lamp: not working 1.1%
- Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction 1.1%
- Tyres, condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords 1.0%
Most common advisories
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 19.2%
- Brake pads: wearing thin 13.7%
- Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 7.7%
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 6.7%
- Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement 5.0%
- Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material 3.3%
- Non-component advisories: Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt 3.0%
- Suspension arms, ball joint: ball joint has slight play 2.7%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 1,336 | 65% |
| 2015 | 7,603 | 70% |
| 2016 | 6,228 | 77% |
| 2017 | 4,151 | 83% |
| 2018 | 2,023 | 87% |
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 |
|---|---|
| 5 years | 32,488 miles |
| 6 years | 41,778 miles |
| 7 years | 51,200 miles |
| 8 years | 59,061 miles |
| 9 years | 65,122 miles |
Check a particular Pulsar
Model figures tell you what to look out for. To see one car's own MOT history, mileage and tax, enter its registration.
Other Nissan models
- Nissan Qashqai
- Nissan Juke
- Nissan Micra
- Nissan Note
- Nissan X Trail
- Nissan Navara
- Nissan Leaf
- Nissan NV200
- Nissan Almera
- Nissan Elgrand
- Nissan Pixo
- Nissan Primastar
- Nissan Pathfinder
- Nissan 350 Z
- Nissan E NV200
- Nissan Primera
- Nissan Cube
- Nissan Figaro
- Nissan Serena
- Nissan Skyline
- Nissan Terrano
- Nissan 370 Z
- Nissan NV300
- Nissan Pickup
- Nissan Kubistar
- Nissan Murano
- Nissan Patrol
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.