Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Infiniti Q30 2017: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 77 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2017 Infiniti Q30 were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front).

Summary

A 2017 Infiniti Q30 passed first time about 5 in every 100 less often than the average of the 2016 and 2018 model years.

At a glance

How 2,406 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
77 in every 100
Did not pass first time
23 in every 100543 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
8 yearsabout 61,814 miles
First tests counted
2,406

What failed most often

  1. Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front)14 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Coil spring (rear)14 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Tyre tread depth (front)10 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 2017 Infiniti Q30 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 ball joint dust cover (front): 13 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 543 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.

Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front)

Failed on 78 first tests13 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

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.

Anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover (front)

Failed on 27 first tests11 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A missing anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover is Major, and so is one that no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. A cover that is only severely deteriorated is Minor. DVSA uses one wording for the dust cover on any suspension joint.

Coil spring (rear)

Failed on 77 first tests2.9 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

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.

Lamps and electrical

Two faults. The strongest is the individual sidelight or tail light (front): 2.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Individual sidelight or tail light (front)

Failed on 34 first tests2.8 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A position lamp showing red light to the front or white light to the rear is Major. Rear lamps must show a steady red light, and front ones can show white, predominantly white with a blue tinge, or yellow if combined in a yellow headlamp. With a multiple light source, up to half not working is Minor and more than half is Major.

Headlight (front)

Failed on 30 first tests2.0 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.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. 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
77in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
4in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
19in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 77.4% of 2,406 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 81.0%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 4 fixed and the 19 not fixed make the 23 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Diesel1,92965,001 miles7777
Petrol47753,275 miles7977

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.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
201678 in every 1001,675
2017 This car77 in every 1002,406

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 82 in every 100 passed first time.

If you are buying one

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

Mileage matters most on a 2017 Infiniti Q30.

Of 2017 Infiniti Q30 vehicles with under 46,000 miles, 84 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 83,000 miles or more, 72 in every 100 did.

Under 46,000491 tests
84
46,000–57,000504 tests
79
57,000–68,000 Typical car443 tests
79
68,000–83,000490 tests
73
83,000 and over478 tests
72

Petrol or diesel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested		Passed first time,
same mileage
Diesel65,001 miles7777
Petrol53,275 miles7977

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Petrol cars look better on the raw figures only because diesel cars have done more miles (typically 65,001 against 53,275). 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 46,00057,000–68,00083,000 and over
Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front)2.43.64.2
Coil spring (rear)2.42.04.6
Tyre tread depth (front)0.62.73.1

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

When a car fails

49in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

21in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

6in 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.

A 2017 Infiniti Q30 passed first time about 5 in every 100 less often than the average of the 2016 and 2018 model years. In 2025, 77.4% of 2,406 first MOTs on the 2017 Infiniti Q30 passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 81.0%. Among 543 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front) appears more often than on similar cars (14.4% of those tests; 78 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 2017 Infiniti Q30 at the first attempt were Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front) (14.4%), Coil spring (rear) (14.2%) and Tyre tread depth (front) (9.6%), 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 ball joint dust cover (front) (14.4% of those tests; 78 observed failures; about 13× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (14.4% of those tests; 78 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 2017 Infiniti Q30 include Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front), Anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover (front), Coil spring (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.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2017 Infiniti Q30 (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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