At a glance
How 638 first tests went in 2025.
- Passed first time
- 47 in every 100
- Did not pass first time
- 53 in every 100341 failed first-attempt tests
- The typical car
- 23 yearsabout 85,006 miles
- First tests counted
- 638
What failed most often
- Headlight aim15 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.
These are patterns across 2002 Citroen C3 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 individual direction indicators (front): 4.8 times as often as on similar cars.
Figures below are measured across the 339 of 341 failed first attempts (99.4%) 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.
Individual direction indicators (front)
What it means
Direction indicators must be amber, though vehicles first used before a set date may have white at the front and red at the rear when the indicators are combined with stop or position lamps, and sequential or dynamic ones are not a reason to fail. A lamp that is missing, inoperative or has more than half of a multiple light source not functioning is graded Major. A flashing rate outside the permitted range is graded Minor.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 26 first tests, 5.4 times as often as on similar cars.
Side repeater indicators
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.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 27 first tests, 16 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.
Suspension
Two faults. The strongest is the anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front): 3.2 times as often as on similar cars.
Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front)
What it means
A suspension joint dust cover that is severely deteriorated is Minor. It becomes Major once it is missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt, so what matters is whether it still keeps dirt out. DVSA words this for any suspension joint dust cover, and files it here under anti-roll bars.
Coil spring (front)
What it means
A missing bump stop rubber is not a reason to fail a coil spring. When the vehicle is jacked and lowered, a spring that does not correctly locate as the suspension returns to its normal running position is rejected as insecurely attached. A missing spring is Major, and graded Dangerous where directional control is affected.
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.
Shock absorbers (rear)
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
- 47in 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
- 43in every 100
- Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.
First-attempt pass 46.6% of 638 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 56.6%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 10 fixed and the 43 not fixed make the 53 in every 100 that did not pass first time.
Same model, other years
Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.
Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 50 in every 100 passed first time.
| Year | Passed first time | First tests |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 This car | 47 in every 100 | 638 |
| 2003 | 49 in every 100 | 1,848 |
| 2004 | 50 in every 100 | 2,335 |
| 2005 | 50 in every 100 | 2,950 |
| 2006 | 52 in every 100 | 3,522 |
| 2007 | 51 in every 100 | 4,080 |
| 2008 | 50 in every 100 | 3,871 |
| 2009 | 49 in every 100 | 7,881 |
| 2010 | 51 in every 100 | 15,915 |
| 2011 | 53 in every 100 | 13,749 |
| 2012 | 55 in every 100 | 13,621 |
| 2013 | 58 in every 100 | 12,592 |
| 2014 | 61 in every 100 | 13,132 |
| 2015 | 65 in every 100 | 11,645 |
| 2016 | 67 in every 100 | 8,425 |
| 2017 | 71 in every 100 | 14,789 |
| 2018 | 76 in every 100 | 14,697 |
| 2019 | 81 in every 100 | 12,988 |
| 2020 | 87 in every 100 | 7,568 |
| 2021 | 89 in every 100 | 7,941 |
| 2022 | 92 in every 100 | 6,874 |
FAQs
Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.
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.
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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