Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Nissan Micra 2015: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 72 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2015 Nissan Micra were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Suspension arm pins and bushes (front).

Summary

The 2015 Nissan Micra follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 12,552 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
72 in every 100
Did not pass first time
28 in every 1003,544 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
10 yearsabout 43,659 miles
First tests counted
12,552

What failed most often

  1. Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)15 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Brake performance (roller test, rear)13 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)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 2015 Nissan Micra 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.

Brakes

Three faults. The strongest is the brake performance (plate test, rear): 9.6 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 3,543 of 3,544 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.

Brake performance (plate test, rear)

Failed on 112 first tests9.6 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, 5.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake performance (roller test, rear)

Failed on 472 first tests6.9 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 188 first tests, 3.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Rigid brake pipes (rear)

Failed on 94 first tests4.3 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 197 first tests, 3.4 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 wheel bearings (front): 4.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Wheel bearings (front)

Failed on 88 first tests4.7 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.

Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)

Failed on 533 first tests3.6 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 852 first tests, 3.9 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.

Lamps and electrical

Four faults and one wear pattern. The strongest is the number plate lights (rear): 4.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Number plate lights (rear)

Failed on 245 first tests4.5 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.

Horn

Failed on 72 first tests2.9 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A horn that does not work, or is likely to be confused with an emergency vehicle siren, is graded Major. Gongs, bells, sirens and anything with more than one tone, which includes a horn that alternates between its notes, are not allowed, except a gong, bell or siren on vehicles first used before a set date. Sound defects are Minor for named cases such as a bell or harsh sound, and Major under a general row.

Individual sidelight or tail light (front)

Failed on 312 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 aim not tested

Failed on 28 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

What it means

Headlamp aim recorded as not tested, or unable to be tested, is a Major failure. These results must only be used where it becomes apparent during the test that the item cannot be tested, and this could not have been identified before starting. The reason must be included in the additional information box.

Headlight (front)

Failed on 167 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.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 34 first tests, 7.7 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.

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.

Coil spring (front)

Noted on 245 first tests8.9 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake pedal

Noted on 52 first tests8.0 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Coil spring (rear)

Noted on 582 first tests5.6 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
72in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
7in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
21in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 71.8% of 12,552 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 79.0%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 7 fixed and the 21 not fixed make the 28 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

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

40608010020002005201020152020Older carsNewer cars
4060801002000201020152020Older 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
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
201364 in every 10011,066
201469 in every 10013,596
2015 This car72 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 2015 Micra.

Of 2015 Micra vehicles with under 26,000 miles, 81 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 67,000 miles or more, 61 in every 100 did.

Under 26,0002,508 tests
81
26,000–38,0002,540 tests
76
38,000–50,000 Typical car2,455 tests
72
50,000–67,0002,484 tests
68
67,000 and over2,562 tests
61

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 26,00038,000–50,00067,000 and over
Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)2.64.25.9
Brake performance (roller test, rear)3.93.63.6
Individual sidelight or tail light (front)0.61.95.5
Suspension arm ball joint (front)0.32.15.0
Windscreen wipers (front)2.01.82.7

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

When a car fails

39in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

30in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

4in 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 2015 Nissan Micra follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Suspension arm pins and bushes (front), about 15 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 71.8% of 12,552 first MOTs on the 2015 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 79.0%. Among 3,544 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Brake performance (plate test, rear) appears more often than on similar cars (3.2% of those tests; 112 observed failures; about 9.6× 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 2015 Nissan Micra at the first attempt were Suspension arm pins and bushes (front) (15.0%), Brake performance (roller test, rear) (13.3%) and Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (8.8%), 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: Brake performance (plate test, rear) (3.2% of those tests; 112 observed failures; about 9.6× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Brake performance (plate test, rear) shows up more often than on similar cars (3.2% of those tests; 112 observed failures; about 9.6× 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 2015 Nissan Micra include Brake performance (plate test, rear), Brake performance (roller test, rear), Wheel bearings (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 2015 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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