Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Citroen Berlingo 2008: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 50 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2008 Citroen Berlingo were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Drive shaft joints and boots (front).

Summary

The 2008 Citroen Berlingo follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 4,577 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
50 in every 100
Did not pass first time
50 in every 1002,274 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
17 yearsabout 116,369 miles
First tests counted
4,577

What failed most often

  1. Drive shaft joints and boots (front)13 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Brake light12 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)11 in every 100 failed tests

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 2008 Citroen Berlingo vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Lamps and electrical

Two faults. The strongest is the horn: 7.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 2,271 of 2,274 failed first attempts (99.9%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like.

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.

Horn

Failed on 246 first tests7.8 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

A horn that does not work, or is likely to be confused with an emergency vehicle siren, is graded Major. Gongs, bells, sirens and anything with more than one tone, which includes a horn that alternates between its notes, are not allowed, except a gong, bell or siren on vehicles first used before a set date. Sound defects are Minor for named cases such as a bell or harsh sound, and Major under a general row.

Brake light

Failed on 271 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.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 48 first tests, 2.5 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.

Steering

One fault: steering rack, 4.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Steering rack

Failed on 50 first tests4.0 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Steering gear casing retaining devices dangerously loose, or visible relative movement to the chassis or bodywork, is graded Dangerous. A casing not properly attached, or fractured, is Major, but a fracture that affects the stability or attachment of the casing is Dangerous. A gaiter damaged but still keeping dirt out is Minor, and Major once missing or no longer doing so.

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

Brakes

One fault: brake efficiency below minimum (roller test), 3.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake efficiency below minimum (roller test)

Failed on 46 first tests3.3 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Service brake efficiency below the minimum requirement is Major, and efficiency less than half of the required value is graded Dangerous. On a roller brake tester, if more than half of the wheels of a brake system lock, the efficiency requirement for that system counts as met.

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

Noise, emissions and leaks

One fault: diesel emissions test (compression-ignition rules for vehicles from 01/07/2008), 3.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Diesel emissions test (compression-ignition rules for vehicles from 01/07/2008)

Failed on 92 first tests3.2 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

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

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.

Other power steering components

Noted on 26 first tests3.1 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Vehicle structure condition (front)

Noted on 22 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

Anti-roll bar ball joint (front)

Noted on 29 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Individual direction indicators (front)

Noted on 44 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Track rod end

Noted on 22 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (front)

Noted on 102 first tests2.0 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
50in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
10in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
40in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 50.3% of 4,577 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 59.6%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 10 fixed and the 40 not fixed make the 50 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Diesel3,628121,494 miles5051
Petrol93497,447 miles5148

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Cars with more miles usually fail more often, so the same-mileage figure gives every fuel the mileage mix of all the cars in this year.

Same model, other years

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

40608010020002005200820152020Older carsNewer cars
406080100200020082020Older carsNewer cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 49 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200053 in every 100339
200151 in every 100686
200252 in every 1001,209
200351 in every 1002,128
200453 in every 1002,708
200550 in every 1002,891
200653 in every 1004,001
200752 in every 1004,182
2008 This car50 in every 1004,577
200949 in every 1007,107
201050 in every 1006,459
201149 in every 1007,160
201252 in every 1008,849
201352 in every 10011,431
201453 in every 10013,356
201555 in every 10014,277
201658 in every 10013,570
201758 in every 10012,952
201861 in every 10012,996
201972 in every 10014,646
202074 in every 10011,823
202172 in every 10011,383
202272 in every 1006,789

If you are buying one

What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.

Mileage matters most on a 2008 Berlingo.

Of 2008 Berlingo vehicles with under 83,000 miles, 57 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 153,000 miles or more, 44 in every 100 did.

Under 83,000934 tests
57
83,000–106,000895 tests
52
106,000–127,000 Typical car935 tests
51
127,000–153,000902 tests
47
153,000 and over907 tests
44

Petrol or diesel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested		Passed first time,
same mileage
Diesel121,494 miles5051
Petrol97,447 miles5148

Figures are in every 100 first tests. At the same mileage there is no clear difference between the two.

What to check at your mileage

How often each fault turned up on a failed first test, by the car's mileage. Read it as: what is likely to need looking at on a car like the one in front of you.

Under 83,000106,000–127,000153,000 and over
Drive shaft joints and boots (front)6.25.86.8
Brake light4.57.26.9
Individual sidelight or tail light (front)1.76.78.8
Horn4.66.25.6
Headlight aim2.73.64.9

Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.

When a car fails

20in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

59in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

10in every 100

of all first tests had a defect the tester marked dangerous (unsafe to drive away).

Every figure here is a first-attempt MOT rate from DVSA open data for this model line, for cars of this model year tested in 2025. Each mileage band holds a fifth of the tests. MOTs do not test engine or gearbox internals, so this is a pre-purchase checklist, not a full reliability score.

FAQs

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

The 2008 Citroen Berlingo follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Drive shaft joints and boots (front), about 13 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 50.3% of 4,577 first MOTs on the 2008 Citroen Berlingo passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 59.6%. Among 2,274 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Horn appears more often than on similar cars (10.8% of those tests; 246 observed failures; about 7.8× 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.
Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that most often failed a 2008 Citroen Berlingo at the first attempt were Drive shaft joints and boots (front) (12.7%), Brake light (11.9%) and Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (11.0%), each as a share of the year's failed first attempts. That is what goes wrong most often on the car. The common faults table shows a different measure: faults that are unusual compared with similar cars.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Horn (10.8% of those tests; 246 observed failures; about 7.8× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Horn shows up more often than on similar cars (10.8% of those tests; 246 observed failures; about 7.8× 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 2008 Citroen Berlingo include Horn, Steering rack, Brake efficiency below minimum (roller test). 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 2008 Citroen Berlingo (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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