At a glance
How 13,223 first tests went in 2025.
- Passed first time
- 51 in every 100
- Did not pass first time
- 49 in every 1006,472 failed first-attempt tests
- The typical car
- 17 yearsabout 97,389 miles
- First tests counted
- 13,223
What failed most often
- Individual sidelight or tail light (front)19 in every 100 failed tests
- Headlight aim14 in every 100 failed tests
- Suspension arm ball joint (front)13 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 2008 Nissan Note 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
Six faults. The strongest is the suspension sub-frame pins and bushes (front): 56 times as often as on similar cars.
Figures below are measured across the 6,461 of 6,472 failed first attempts (99.8%) 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.
Suspension sub-frame pins and bushes (front)
What it means
A sub-frame pin or bush with excessive wear is Major. Under DVSA's general wording for a suspension pin, bush or joint, 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 300 first tests, 33 times as often as on similar cars.
Wheel bearings (rear)
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 151 first tests, 2.8 times as often as on similar cars.
Suspension mounting area (front)
What it means
The load bearing structure within a set distance of a sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting is a prescribed area. Major applies when its strength or continuity is significantly reduced or it is inadequately repaired. Dangerous applies when it is so weakened that control of the vehicle is likely to be adversely affected.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 116 first tests, 3.9 times as often as on similar cars.
Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)
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.
Suspension arm ball joint (front)
What it means
A suspension arm ball joint is failed under the general suspension pin, bush or joint wording. Excessively worn is Major, and 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 298 first tests, 2.0 times as often as on similar cars.
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 count notes recorded on failed first tests only.
Seat belts and restraints
One fault: airbag warning light, 3.1 times as often as on similar cars.
Airbag warning light
What it means
The airbag warning lamp (SRS MIL in DVSA's wording) is failed only if it indicates a system malfunction, which is Major. A lamp lit to show the passenger airbag is disabled is not to be regarded as a defect. Dashboard messages are not a defect in their own right, though they can help the tester confirm a malfunction.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 25 first tests, 3.2 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
Two faults. The strongest is the horn: 2.7 times as often as on similar cars.
Horn
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.
Number plate lights (rear)
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.
Side repeater indicators (front)
Brake light (rear)
Macpherson strut (front)
Headlight (front)
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
- 51in every 100
- Passed on the first test.
- Fixed at the station
- 12in every 100
- Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
- Failed
- 37in every 100
- Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.
First-attempt pass 51.1% of 13,223 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 63.1%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 12 fixed and the 37 not fixed make the 49 in every 100 that did not pass first time.
Petrol and diesel
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.
Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 52 in every 100 passed first time.
| Year | Passed first time | First tests |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 49 in every 100 | 7,318 |
| 2007 | 50 in every 100 | 10,076 |
| 2008 This car | 51 in every 100 | 13,223 |
| 2009 | 54 in every 100 | 13,504 |
| 2010 | 55 in every 100 | 13,004 |
| 2011 | 57 in every 100 | 11,196 |
| 2012 | 58 in every 100 | 11,143 |
| 2013 | 63 in every 100 | 11,398 |
| 2014 | 72 in every 100 | 21,068 |
| 2015 | 78 in every 100 | 14,496 |
| 2016 | 82 in every 100 | 10,463 |
| 2017 | 82 in every 100 | 5,027 |
If you are buying one
What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.
Mileage matters most on a 2008 Nissan Note.
Of 2008 Nissan Note vehicles with under 70,000 miles, 65 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 127,000 miles or more, 43 in every 100 did.
Petrol or diesel?
| Typical mileage | Passed first time, as tested | Passed first time, same mileage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 96,806 miles | 51 | 51 |
| Diesel | 116,728 miles | 42 | 45 |
Figures are in every 100 first tests. Part of the gap is mileage: diesel cars have done more miles. Even at the same mileage, petrol passed more often (51 against 45 in every 100).
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 70,000 | 89,000–106,000 | 127,000 and over | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual sidelight or tail light (front) | 4.2 | 10.9 | 12.0 |
| Headlight aim | 4.6 | 7.3 | 8.3 |
| Suspension arm ball joint (front) | 2.7 | 6.4 | 9.5 |
| Coil spring (front) | 5.0 | 6.3 | 5.7 |
| Brake light | 4.5 | 5.4 | 6.2 |
Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.
When a car fails
of failed cars had one item to fix.
of failed cars had three or more items to fix.
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.
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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