Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Jaguar XF 2014: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 73 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2014 Jaguar XF were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Tyre condition (front).

Summary

The 2014 Jaguar XF follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 11,369 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
73 in every 100
Did not pass first time
27 in every 1003,122 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
11 yearsabout 89,934 miles
First tests counted
11,369

What failed most often

  1. Tyre condition (front)12 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Number plate lights11 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Brake pads (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 2014 Jaguar XF 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.

Suspension

Three faults. The strongest is the anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (rear): 146 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 3,119 of 3,122 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 ball joint dust cover (rear)

Failed on 86 first tests146 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.

Suspension arm ball joint dust cover (front)

Failed on 260 first tests4.7 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Whether a suspension arm ball joint dust cover still keeps dirt out decides its grade. Severely deteriorated is Minor, while missing, or no longer preventing the ingress of dirt, is Major.

Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear)

Failed on 74 first tests3.2 times as often as similar carsLikely 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.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 197 first tests, 4.1 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

One fault: number plate lights (rear), 3.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Number plate lights (rear)

Failed on 349 first tests3.4 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Registration plate lamps must light up the rear registration plate and operate at the same time as the position lamps. A missing or inoperative lamp is Major when the plate has only one lamp or all its lamps are not working, and Minor when the plate has several lamps or light sources and not all have failed. A lamp throwing direct white light to the rear is also Minor.

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

Tyres

One wear pattern: tyre tread depth (rear), 2.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Tyre tread depth (rear)

Failed on 264 first tests2.7 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

What it means

Only primary grooves count when tread depth is assessed: those holding the wear indicators, or cut as deep as those when new. Shallower secondary grooves are ignored. Tread depth below the minimum for the vehicle is Dangerous, and so is a pattern not visible over the whole tread, but that second row applies only to vehicles that need the lower minimum.

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

Brakes

One wear pattern: brake pads (rear), 2.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake pads (rear)

Failed on 289 first tests2.3 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.

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.

Suspension arm ball joint (rear)

Noted on 49 first tests87 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

Transmission oil leaks (rear)

Noted on 83 first tests27 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension sub-frame mounting area (rear)

Noted on 49 first tests11 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Flexible brake hoses (front)

Noted on 93 first tests9.7 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

Structural sub-frame condition (rear)

Noted on 21 first tests6.9 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension sub-frame (rear)

Noted on 410 first tests6.8 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

Chassis condition (rear)

Noted on 29 first tests6.3 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (rear)

Noted on 37 first tests4.7 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
73in 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
23in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 72.5% of 11,369 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 76.8%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 4 fixed and the 23 not fixed make the 27 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

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

406080100201020142020Older carsNewer cars
406080100201020142020Older 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, 74 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200864 in every 1003,774
200963 in every 1005,297
201065 in every 1007,738
201168 in every 1007,192
201270 in every 1008,895
201372 in every 10010,154
2014 This car73 in every 10011,369
201575 in every 1009,229
201683 in every 1007,830
201786 in every 1006,591
201885 in every 1005,506
201986 in every 1003,163
202088 in every 1001,290
202190 in every 100673

If you are buying one

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

Mileage matters most on a 2014 Jaguar XF.

Of 2014 Jaguar XF vehicles with under 64,000 miles, 81 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 120,000 miles or more, 66 in every 100 did.

Under 64,0002,289 tests
81
64,000–82,0002,291 tests
76
82,000–98,000 Typical car2,196 tests
72
98,000–120,0002,300 tests
68
120,000 and over2,289 tests
66

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 64,00082,000–98,000120,000 and over
Tyre condition (front)2.64.33.6
Number plate lights1.43.54.1
Brake pads (rear)1.42.33.0
Tyre tread depth (rear)1.02.33.7
Suspension arm ball joint dust cover (front)1.62.63.1

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

When a car fails

42in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

29in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

9in 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 2014 Jaguar XF follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Tyre condition (front), about 12 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 72.5% of 11,369 first MOTs on the 2014 Jaguar XF passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 76.8%. Among 3,122 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (rear) appears more often than on similar cars (2.8% of those tests; 86 observed failures; about 146× 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 2014 Jaguar XF at the first attempt were Tyre condition (front) (11.9%), Number plate lights (11.2%) and Brake pads (rear) (9.3%), 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 (rear) (2.8% of those tests; 86 observed failures; about 146× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (rear) shows up more often than on similar cars (2.8% of those tests; 86 observed failures; about 146× 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 2014 Jaguar XF include Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (rear), Suspension arm ball joint dust cover (front), Number plate lights (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 2014 Jaguar XF (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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