Model Reports 5 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Citroen C1 2009: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 55 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2009 Citroen C1 were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Brake performance (roller test, rear).

Summary

The 2009 Citroen C1 follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 10,477 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
55 in every 100
Did not pass first time
45 in every 1004,743 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
16 yearsabout 84,389 miles
First tests counted
10,477

What failed most often

  1. Brake performance (roller test, rear)17 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)14 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Suspension mounting area (rear)9 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 2009 Citroen C1 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.

Suspension

Three faults. The strongest is the anti-roll bar linkage pins and bushes (front): 13 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 4,738 of 4,743 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.

Anti-roll bar linkage pins and bushes (front)

Failed on 135 first tests13 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

Excessive wear in an anti-roll bar linkage pin or bush is Major. If the pin or bush is likely to become detached, it is graded Dangerous. The wording is DVSA's general one for a suspension pin, bush or joint.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 502 first tests, 23 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension mounting area (rear)

Failed on 410 first tests3.4 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

The load bearing structure within a set distance of a sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting is a prescribed area. Major applies when its strength or continuity is significantly reduced or it is inadequately repaired. Dangerous applies when it is so weakened that control of the vehicle is likely to be adversely affected.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 189 first tests, 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Wheel bearings (front)

Failed on 165 first tests3.2 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Excessive play in a wheel bearing, or a bearing that is excessively rough, is Major. Play so excessive that the bearing is likely to break up or directional control is impaired is Dangerous, and so is a bearing so rough that it is likely to overheat or break up.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 129 first tests, 3.2 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.

Lamps and electrical

Two faults. The strongest is the hazard warning switch: 12 times as often as on similar cars.

Hazard warning switch

Failed on 117 first tests12 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

A hazard warning switch that is inoperative is Major, while one that is faulty or insecure is Minor. The lamps must work from one switch only, with the engine or ignition switch both on and off.

Rear fog light

Failed on 144 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A missing obligatory rear fog lamp, one that is not working, or one that does not emit a steady red light is graded Major. A rear fog lamp adversely affected by the operation of any other lamp is Major too. The manual allows it to go out when main beam is switched on or when dipped beam headlamps are switched off.

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

Brakes

Four faults. The strongest is the brake performance (plate test, rear): 5.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake performance (plate test, rear)

Failed on 176 first tests5.8 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

Braking effort that is inadequate at a wheel, a brake grabbing severely and a binding brake are among the Major failures. A wheel with no recorded effort is graded Dangerous. If a vehicle fails any aspect of the plate test, the check should be repeated to confirm the result.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 83 first tests, 2.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake performance (roller test, rear)

Failed on 799 first tests5.6 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

A wheel with no recorded braking effort on the roller test is graded Dangerous. Inadequate effort, a brake grabbing severely, abnormal lag and excessive fluctuation in effort are each Major. So is significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied, which indicates a binding brake.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 316 first tests, 2.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Rigid brake pipes (rear)

Failed on 339 first tests4.0 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Chafing, corrosion or damage to a rigid brake pipe justifies rejection once its wall thickness is reduced by a set amount, although DVSA accepts this is not easy to determine. If a tester is not sure, the benefit of the doubt applies. A leaking pipe or connection is graded Dangerous on a hydraulic system and Major on an air system.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 849 first tests, 3.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear)

Failed on 173 first tests2.8 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A wheel giving less than a set share of the maximum effort from the other wheel on the same axle is Major. On a steered axle, less than half is graded Dangerous. Testers disregard an imbalance if the lower effort is the result of a locked wheel, or if the higher effort from a wheel is at or below a low set figure.

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

Body and structure

One fault: exhaust system (rear), 2.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Exhaust system (rear)

Failed on 241 first tests2.8 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Exhaust fumes causing a danger to health of persons on board are graded Dangerous, and so is a silencer likely to become detached. Fumes entering the cabin are Major. One or more missing or defective mountings does not necessarily make the exhaust insecure, since testers assess the overall security of the system.

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.

Anti-roll bar pins and bushes (front)

Noted on 102 first tests6.5 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

Seat belt mounting area

Noted on 23 first tests4.5 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

Wheel condition (front)

Noted on 250 first tests3.6 times as often as similar carsLikely 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
55in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
8in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
37in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 54.7% of 10,477 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 63.2%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 8 fixed and the 37 not fixed make the 45 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Petrol10,17484,068 miles5555
Diesel30197,635 miles5153

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.

4060801002005200920152020Older carsNewer cars
40608010020092020Newer cars

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

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200552 in every 100584
200651 in every 1003,686
200752 in every 1005,910
200852 in every 1008,458
2009 This car55 in every 10010,477
201058 in every 10011,836
201160 in every 10012,693
201264 in every 10012,916
201368 in every 10013,273
201473 in every 10013,005
201575 in every 10017,206
201676 in every 10017,491
201780 in every 1008,800
201884 in every 1006,976
201984 in every 1005,083
202087 in every 1003,630
202190 in every 1004,384

If you are buying one

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

Mileage matters most on a 2009 Citroen C1.

Of 2009 Citroen C1 vehicles with under 58,000 miles, 67 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 111,000 miles or more, 47 in every 100 did.

Under 58,0002,075 tests
67
58,000–76,0002,053 tests
57
76,000–92,000 Typical car2,131 tests
52
92,000–111,0002,093 tests
51
111,000 and over2,119 tests
47

Petrol or diesel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested		Passed first time,
same mileage
Petrol84,068 miles5555
Diesel97,635 miles5153

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Petrol cars look better on the raw figures only because diesel cars have done more miles (typically 97,635 against 84,068). 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 58,00076,000–92,000111,000 and over
Brake performance (roller test, rear)6.78.47.5
Individual sidelight or tail light (front)0.97.110.3
Suspension mounting area (rear)2.53.75.0
Petrol emissions (with catalyst)1.44.55.7
Headlight aim2.73.75.5

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

When a car fails

24in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

52in 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 2009 Citroen C1 follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Brake performance (roller test, rear), about 17 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 54.7% of 10,477 first MOTs on the 2009 Citroen C1 passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 63.2%. Among 4,743 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Anti-roll bar linkage pins and bushes (front) appears more often than on similar cars (2.8% of those tests; 135 observed failures; about 13× 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 2009 Citroen C1 at the first attempt were Brake performance (roller test, rear) (16.9%), Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (13.7%) and Suspension mounting area (rear) (8.7%), 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: Anti-roll bar linkage pins and bushes (front) (2.8% of those tests; 135 observed failures; about 13× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Anti-roll bar linkage pins and bushes (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (2.8% of those tests; 135 observed failures; about 13× 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 2009 Citroen C1 include Anti-roll bar linkage pins and bushes (front), Hazard warning switch, Brake performance (plate test, rear). 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 2009 Citroen C1 (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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