Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Vauxhall Antara 2012: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 51 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2012 Vauxhall Antara were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Individual sidelight or tail light (front).

Summary

The 2012 Vauxhall Antara follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 4,803 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
51 in every 100
Did not pass first time
49 in every 1002,338 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
13 yearsabout 92,258 miles
First tests counted
4,803

What failed most often

  1. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)20 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)10 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Brake light (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 2012 Vauxhall Antara 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 linkage (rear): 19 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 2,337 of 2,338 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.

Anti-roll bar linkage (rear)

Failed on 172 first tests19 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

An anti-roll bar linkage is graded Dangerous when a suspension component is missing, likely to become detached, fractured or likely to fail. Insecure attachment that impairs directional stability is graded Dangerous too. Excessive damage or corrosion that seriously weakens the part is Major, and so is plain insecure attachment to the chassis or axle.

Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear)

Failed on 60 first tests3.9 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 149 first tests, 3.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)

Failed on 242 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsPossible 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.

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 reversing lights (rear): 14 times as often as on similar cars.

Reversing lights (rear)

Failed on 195 first tests14 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

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.

Brake light (rear)

Failed on 213 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

All stop lamps missing or not working is graded Dangerous, and so is a stop lamp that stays on when the brakes are released. A stop lamp that is missing or not working is Major. On some vehicles with LED rear lamps, part of the stop lamp can go out when the rear fog lamp is lit, which is not regarded as a defect.

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

Noise, emissions and leaks

Two faults. The strongest is the diesel emissions test (compression-ignition rules for vehicles from 01/07/2008): 6.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Diesel emissions test (compression-ignition rules for vehicles from 01/07/2008)

Failed on 159 first tests6.4 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

Diesel engine warning light

Failed on 150 first tests3.7 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

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.

Brakes

Two faults. The strongest is the rigid brake pipes (rear): 3.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Rigid brake pipes (rear)

Failed on 100 first tests3.2 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.

Handbrake performance (roller test, rear)

Failed on 70 first tests2.9 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A parking brake that is inoperative on one side is Major. When tested on the road, the failure is the vehicle deviating excessively from a straight line. Vehicles whose parking brake was already tested as the secondary brake are not tested again for this.

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.

Anti-roll bar linkage pins and bushes (rear)

Noted on 34 first tests15 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

Seat belt condition (front)

Noted on 179 first tests9.8 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Side repeater indicators

Noted on 31 first tests9.6 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension arm (rear)

Noted on 273 first tests6.4 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

Shock absorbers (front)

Noted on 326 first tests4.5 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Steering rack play

Noted on 20 first tests3.5 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Engine oil leaks (front)

Noted on 592 first tests3.1 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
51in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
10in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
39in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 51.3% of 4,803 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 60.7%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 10 fixed and the 39 not fixed make the 49 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

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

406080100201120122013201420152016Older carsNewer cars
406080100201120122013201420152016Newer 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, 52 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
201151 in every 100661
2012 This car51 in every 1004,803
201354 in every 1005,783
201453 in every 1002,352
201554 in every 1001,907
201656 in every 100754

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 Antara.

Of 2012 Antara vehicles with under 72,000 miles, 62 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 114,000 miles or more, 47 in every 100 did.

Under 72,000970 tests
62
72,000–86,000940 tests
52
86,000–98,000 Typical car943 tests
48
98,000–114,000999 tests
48
114,000 and over949 tests
47

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 72,00086,000–98,000114,000 and over
Individual sidelight or tail light (front)7.311.310.2
Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)3.45.36.8
Brake light (rear)2.95.14.3
Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)1.34.66.4
Reversing lights3.44.83.7

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

When a car fails

22in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

54in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

15in 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 2012 Vauxhall Antara follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Individual sidelight or tail light (front), about 20 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 51.3% of 4,803 first MOTs on the 2012 Vauxhall Antara passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 60.7%. Among 2,338 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Anti-roll bar linkage (rear) appears more often than on similar cars (7.4% of those tests; 172 observed failures; about 19× 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 2012 Vauxhall Antara at the first attempt were Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (20.2%), Suspension arm pins and bushes (front) (10.4%) and Brake light (rear) (9.1%), 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 (rear) (7.4% of those tests; 172 observed failures; about 19× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Anti-roll bar linkage (rear) shows up more often than on similar cars (7.4% of those tests; 172 observed failures; about 19× 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 2012 Vauxhall Antara include Anti-roll bar linkage (rear), Reversing lights (rear), Suspension arm pins and bushes (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 2012 Vauxhall Antara (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.

Check any vehicle’s MOT history

Full MOT history, mileage records, and reliability insights for any UK vehicle.

Run a free check