Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Chevrolet Captiva 2012: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 57 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2012 Chevrolet Captiva were passes.

Summary

With 678 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2012 Chevrolet Captiva differs from the model years either side. Treat the faults below as a checklist.

At a glance

How 678 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
57 in every 100
Did not pass first time
43 in every 100292 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
13 yearsabout 96,434 miles
First tests counted
678

How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.

Note:

These are patterns across 2012 Chevrolet Captiva vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. A wear pattern follows age and use more than the way the car was built. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Lamps and electrical

Three faults. The strongest is the side repeater indicators: 5.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 292 failed first attempts in 2025 that had a mileage recorded, which allows a like-for-like comparison.

We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.

Side repeater indicators

Failed on 28 first tests5.5 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Sequential or dynamic direction indicators are not a reason to fail. Where a side repeater is required, it is allowed to be part of the front direction indicator if it has a marked wraparound lens, or an amber light coming through the front lens when viewed from a set distance to the side of the rear bumper. A lens defect with no effect on the emitted light is Minor, and one that adversely affects the light is Major.

Headlight (front)

Failed on 29 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

On vehicles first used on or after a set date, a halogen headlamp unit converted to take HID or LED bulbs fails for light source and lamp not compatible, which is Major. A complete unit built with those light sources is not failed for that. The precise position of the lamps is not part of the inspection beyond a visual look to see that they sit at about the same height and distance from each side.

Brake light

Failed on 28 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

All stop lamps missing or not working is graded Dangerous, and so is a stop lamp that stays on when the brakes are released. A stop lamp that is missing or not working is Major. On some vehicles with LED rear lamps, part of the stop lamp can go out when the rear fog lamp is lit, which is not regarded as a defect.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Noise, emissions and leaks

One fault: diesel engine warning light, 5.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Diesel engine warning light

Failed on 31 first tests5.5 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

An engine malfunction indicator lamp that is illuminated to show a malfunction is graded Major on a diesel, but only on the diesels the test covers, which depends on the vehicle type and when it was first used. DVSA lists it under exhaust emissions for compression ignition engines, and the detail line for the row also names an inoperative lamp.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Suspension

One fault: suspension arm pins and bushes (front), 2.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)

Failed on 34 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Pins and bushes on suspension arms fail as Major when they are excessively worn. They are graded Dangerous when likely to become detached. DVSA uses the same wording for a suspension joint.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Brakes

One wear pattern: brake pads (rear), 2.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake pads (rear)

Failed on 20 first tests2.0 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

What it means

A pad worn down to its wear indicator, or contaminated with oil or grease, is Major. A pad worn below the set thickness limit, missing or incorrectly mounted is Dangerous. The manual treats an illuminated brake wear indicator as no reason for failure, although DVSA also lists an illuminated indicator as a Major row.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 29 first tests, 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

Advisories

Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.

An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail. Advisories for the faults above are shown with those faults.

Seat belt condition (front)

Noted on 29 first tests12 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Shock absorbers (front)

Noted on 42 first tests4.5 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension arm (rear)

Noted on 24 first tests4.2 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Engine oil leaks

Noted on 104 first tests4.1 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear)

Noted on 20 first tests3.7 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

MOT pass rates

How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.

Passed first time
57in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
7in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
36in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 56.9% of 678 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 64.3%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 7 fixed and the 36 not fixed make the 43 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

406080100200820092010201120122013Older carsNewer cars
406080100200820092010201120122013Older cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200847 in every 100336
200944 in every 100430
201049 in every 1001,115
201150 in every 100824
2012 This car57 in every 100678
201359 in every 100816

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

With 678 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2012 Chevrolet Captiva differs from the model years either side. Treat the faults below as a checklist. In 2025, 56.9% of 678 first MOTs on the 2012 Chevrolet Captiva passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 64.3%. Among 292 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Side repeater indicators appears more often than on similar cars (9.6% of those tests; 28 observed failures; about 5.5× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Side repeater indicators (9.6% of those tests; 28 observed failures; about 5.5× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Side repeater indicators shows up more often than on similar cars (9.6% of those tests; 28 observed failures; about 5.5× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.
Common MOT problem areas for the 2012 Chevrolet Captiva include Side repeater indicators, Diesel engine warning light, Headlight (front). These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.
Advisories flag issues noted at the test and are not a fail rate. We show advisory patterns that appear more often than on similar cars among failed first-attempt tests, separate from common failure rows. Use them as early-warning checks, not as a pass/fail score.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2012 Chevrolet Captiva (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.
No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

About this data

How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.

These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.

2024 2025

What we include

UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.

Same-day repairs

PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.

How we compare

We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.

What this does not cover

  • MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
  • Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
  • Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
  • If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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