At a glance
How 2,557 first tests went in 2025.
- Passed first time
- 49 in every 100
- Did not pass first time
- 51 in every 1001,296 failed first-attempt tests
- The typical car
- 13 yearsabout 119,448 miles
- First tests counted
- 2,557
What failed most often
- Individual sidelight or tail light (front)21 in every 100 failed tests
- Suspension arm ball joint (front)20 in every 100 failed tests
- Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)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.
These are patterns across 2012 Nissan NV200 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 ball joint (rear): 12 times as often as on similar cars.
Figures below are measured across the 1,296 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 ball joint (rear)
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 24 first tests, 9.4 times as often as on similar cars.
Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (rear)
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 142 first tests, 11 times as often as on similar cars.
Anti-roll bar ball joint (front)
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.
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. The strongest is the battery: 9.7 times as often as on similar cars.
Battery
What it means
A battery that is insecure but not likely to fall from its carrier is Minor. It is Major if insecure and likely to fall from the carrier or cause a short circuit, and also Major if it is leaking. Electric and hybrid vehicles are included, though propulsion batteries are unlikely to be accessible and are assessed visually only if they are.
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.
Reversing lights
What it means
Reversing lamps must show a white light to the rear, and on some vehicles the engine has to be running before they work. A lamp that does not emit a steady white light, does not face the rear or has its light intensity significantly reduced is Major. A lamp not securely attached is Minor, but one likely to become detached is Major.
Rear fog light
What it means
A missing obligatory rear fog lamp, one that is not working, or one that does not emit a steady red light is graded Major. A rear fog lamp adversely affected by the operation of any other lamp is Major too. The manual allows it to go out when main beam is switched on or when dipped beam headlamps are switched off.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Brakes
One fault: brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear), 4.3 times as often as on similar cars.
Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear)
What it means
A wheel giving less than a set share of the maximum effort from the other wheel on the same axle is Major. On a steered axle, less than half is graded Dangerous. Testers disregard an imbalance if the lower effort is the result of a locked wheel, or if the higher effort from a wheel is at or below a low set figure.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Seat belts and restraints
One fault: airbag warning light, 4.2 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.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Noise, emissions and leaks
One fault: diesel engine warning light, 3.3 times as often as on similar cars.
Diesel engine warning light
What it means
An engine malfunction indicator lamp that is illuminated to show a malfunction is graded Major on a diesel, but only on the diesels the test covers, which depends on the vehicle type and when it was first used. DVSA lists it under exhaust emissions for compression ignition engines, and the detail line for the row also names an inoperative lamp.
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.
Leaf spring shackle pins and bushes (rear)
Headlight (front)
Seat belt condition (front)
Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (front)
Suspension arm ball joint (front)
Coil spring (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
- 49in every 100
- Passed on the first test.
- Fixed at the station
- 11in every 100
- Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
- Failed
- 40in every 100
- Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.
First-attempt pass 49.3% of 2,557 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 59.6%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 11 fixed and the 40 not fixed make the 51 in every 100 that did not pass first time.
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.
| Year | Passed first time | First tests |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 51 in every 100 | 1,049 |
| 2011 | 48 in every 100 | 1,931 |
| 2012 This car | 49 in every 100 | 2,557 |
| 2013 | 51 in every 100 | 3,486 |
| 2014 | 51 in every 100 | 2,738 |
| 2015 | 55 in every 100 | 3,835 |
| 2016 | 58 in every 100 | 3,070 |
| 2017 | 64 in every 100 | 2,143 |
| 2018 | 59 in every 100 | 1,651 |
| 2019 | 61 in every 100 | 743 |
If you are buying one
What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.
Mileage matters most on a 2012 Nissan NV200.
Of 2012 Nissan NV200 vehicles with under 85,000 miles, 60 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 156,000 miles or more, 48 in every 100 did.
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 85,000 | 108,000–130,000 | 156,000 and over | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual sidelight or tail light (front) | 7.6 | 13.5 | 11.6 |
| Suspension arm ball joint (front) | 8.2 | 10.7 | 8.6 |
| Suspension arm pins and bushes (front) | 3.7 | 5.1 | 6.7 |
| Coil spring (front) | 4.1 | 5.1 | 4.9 |
| Diesel engine warning light | 2.7 | 5.0 | 7.3 |
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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