Model Reports 5 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Nissan Micra 2013: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 64 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2013 Nissan Micra were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Individual sidelight or tail light (front).

Summary

A 2013 Nissan Micra passed first time about 2 in every 100 less often than the average of the 2012 and 2014 model years.

At a glance

How 11,066 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
64 in every 100
Did not pass first time
36 in every 1004,033 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
12 yearsabout 53,880 miles
First tests counted
11,066

What failed most often

  1. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)15 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)14 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Brake performance (roller test, rear)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 2013 Nissan Micra 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

Four faults. The strongest is the wheel bearings (rear): 7.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 4,032 of 4,033 failed first attempts 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.

Wheel bearings (rear)

Failed on 116 first tests7.1 times as often as similar carsStrong 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 34 first tests, 2.9 times as often as on similar cars.

Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (front)

Failed on 317 first tests5.4 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

Excessive wear on an anti-roll bar linkage ball joint is Major. A joint likely to become detached is graded Dangerous.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 202 first tests, 5.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Anti-roll bar ball joint (front)

Failed on 90 first tests5.3 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

On an anti-roll bar ball joint, DVSA fails a suspension pin, bush or joint that is excessively worn as Major. One likely to become detached is graded Dangerous.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 48 first tests, 5.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)

Failed on 576 first tests3.4 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 824 first tests, 2.9 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.

Brakes

Three faults. The strongest is the brake performance (plate test, rear): 6.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake performance (plate test, rear)

Failed on 110 first tests6.8 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 63 first tests, 3.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake performance (roller test, rear)

Failed on 435 first tests5.1 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 218 first tests, 2.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Rigid brake pipes (rear)

Failed on 107 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsPossible 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.

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 individual sidelight or tail light (front): 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Individual sidelight or tail light (front)

Failed on 589 first tests2.2 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.

Number plate lights (rear)

Failed on 206 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsPossible 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.

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.

Headlight (front)

Noted on 97 first tests6.6 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Coil spring (rear)

Noted on 959 first tests4.8 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake pedal

Noted on 42 first tests4.8 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Coil spring (front)

Noted on 247 first tests3.7 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
64in 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
28in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 63.6% of 11,066 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 72.0%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 8 fixed and the 28 not fixed make the 36 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

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

40608010020002005201020132020Older carsNewer cars
4060801002000201020132020Older 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, 67 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
199655 in every 100390
199754 in every 100511
199853 in every 100998
199953 in every 1001,611
200052 in every 1002,059
200153 in every 1003,180
200254 in every 1005,719
200352 in every 1007,303
200451 in every 1008,187
200550 in every 10012,239
200653 in every 10014,777
200755 in every 10011,492
200858 in every 10012,819
200958 in every 10014,267
201059 in every 10014,496
201161 in every 10011,937
201262 in every 10010,933
2013 This car64 in every 10011,066
201469 in every 10013,596
201572 in every 10012,552
201673 in every 10010,366
201767 in every 10012,148
201869 in every 1009,549
201978 in every 1008,211
202082 in every 1005,989
202189 in every 1006,438
202291 in every 1005,542

If you are buying one

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

Mileage matters most on a 2013 Micra.

Of 2013 Micra vehicles with under 34,000 miles, 75 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 80,000 miles or more, 52 in every 100 did.

Under 34,0002,287 tests
75
34,000–47,0002,111 tests
69
47,000–61,000 Typical car2,223 tests
63
61,000–80,0002,235 tests
59
80,000 and over2,207 tests
52

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 34,00047,000–61,00080,000 and over
Individual sidelight or tail light (front)2.55.37.7
Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)3.95.17.1
Brake performance (roller test, rear)5.03.82.9
Suspension arm ball joint (front)1.04.17.0
Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (front)0.42.55.6

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

When a car fails

34in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

38in 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 2013 Nissan Micra passed first time about 2 in every 100 less often than the average of the 2012 and 2014 model years. In 2025, 63.6% of 11,066 first MOTs on the 2013 Nissan Micra passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 72.0%. Among 4,033 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Wheel bearings (rear) appears more often than on similar cars (2.9% of those tests; 116 observed failures; about 7.1× 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 2013 Nissan Micra at the first attempt were Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (14.6%), Suspension arm pins and bushes (front) (14.3%) and Brake performance (roller test, rear) (10.8%), 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: Wheel bearings (rear) (2.9% of those tests; 116 observed failures; about 7.1× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Wheel bearings (rear) shows up more often than on similar cars (2.9% of those tests; 116 observed failures; about 7.1× 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 2013 Nissan Micra include Wheel bearings (rear), Brake performance (plate test, rear), Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (front). 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 2013 Nissan Micra (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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