At a glance
How 28,455 first tests went in 2025.
- Passed first time
- 55 in every 100
- Did not pass first time
- 45 in every 10012,918 failed first-attempt tests
- The typical car
- 17 yearsabout 106,568 miles
- First tests counted
- 28,455
What failed most often
- Coil spring (front)13 in every 100 failed tests
- Windscreen washers8 in every 100 failed tests
- Tyre condition (front)8 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 Vauxhall Astra 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.
Suspension
Four faults. The strongest is the swivel pins and bushes (rear): 16 times as often as on similar cars.
Figures below are measured across the 12,904 of 12,918 failed first attempts (99.9%) 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.
Swivel pins and bushes (rear)
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 935 first tests, 7.0 times as often as on similar cars.
Suspension sub-frame mounting area (front)
What it means
Structure around a sub-frame mounting that is so weakened that control of the vehicle is likely to be adversely affected is graded Dangerous, whether it is damaged, fractured, corroded or inadequately repaired. It is Major when strength is significantly reduced by excessive corrosion, damage or a fracture, or when it is inadequately repaired.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 774 first tests, 14 times as often as on similar cars.
Coil spring (rear)
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.
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.
Lamps and electrical
One fault: horn, 5.9 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.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Brakes
One fault and one wear pattern. The strongest is the flexible brake hoses (front): 3.3 times as often as on similar cars.
Flexible brake hoses (front)
What it means
Testers reject a flexible brake hose for being excessively damaged or chafed only if it is severe enough to expose the reinforcement. Slight damage, chafing or twisting is graded Minor. A leak is graded Dangerous on a hydraulic braking system and Major on an air system, and a hose damaged and likely to fail is also Dangerous.
Brake discs (rear)
What it means
A brake disc or drum must be significantly worn before it is rejected, and being worn below the manufacturer's recommended limits is not a reason in itself. Significantly and obviously worn is Major, as is contamination with oil or grease. A disc or drum that is fractured, insecure, seriously weakened or missing is graded Dangerous.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 1,750 first tests, 2.1 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.
Body and structure
One fault: exhaust system (front), 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.
Exhaust system (front)
What it means
Exhaust fumes causing a danger to health of persons on board are graded Dangerous, and so is a silencer likely to become detached. Fumes entering the cabin are Major. One or more missing or defective mountings does not necessarily make the exhaust insecure, since testers assess the overall security of the system.
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.
Suspension sub-frame pins and bushes (rear)
Other suspension component pins and bushes (rear)
Engine mounting condition (front)
Brake fluid reservoir
Rigid brake pipes (rear)
Engine oil leaks (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
- 55in 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
- 38in every 100
- Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.
First-attempt pass 54.6% of 28,455 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 62.4%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 7 fixed and the 38 not fixed make the 45 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, 54 in every 100 passed first time.
| Year | Passed first time | First tests |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 59 in every 100 | 419 |
| 1998 | 61 in every 100 | 424 |
| 1999 | 56 in every 100 | 739 |
| 2000 | 56 in every 100 | 1,248 |
| 2001 | 57 in every 100 | 2,356 |
| 2002 | 55 in every 100 | 4,206 |
| 2003 | 57 in every 100 | 5,631 |
| 2004 | 56 in every 100 | 5,960 |
| 2005 | 53 in every 100 | 10,854 |
| 2006 | 51 in every 100 | 16,611 |
| 2007 | 53 in every 100 | 27,312 |
| 2008 This car | 55 in every 100 | 28,455 |
| 2009 | 55 in every 100 | 29,686 |
| 2010 | 59 in every 100 | 40,145 |
| 2011 | 61 in every 100 | 37,568 |
| 2012 | 64 in every 100 | 44,619 |
| 2013 | 65 in every 100 | 52,491 |
| 2014 | 66 in every 100 | 48,410 |
| 2015 | 67 in every 100 | 44,368 |
| 2016 | 73 in every 100 | 53,101 |
| 2017 | 78 in every 100 | 43,869 |
| 2018 | 80 in every 100 | 28,645 |
| 2019 | 83 in every 100 | 20,311 |
| 2020 | 83 in every 100 | 5,926 |
| 2021 | 87 in every 100 | 5,634 |
| 2022 | 89 in every 100 | 2,817 |
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 Astra.
Of 2008 Astra vehicles with under 78,000 miles, 63 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 138,000 miles or more, 49 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 78,000 | 98,000–116,000 | 138,000 and over | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coil spring (front) | 4.8 | 6.1 | 6.5 |
| Windscreen washers | 3.0 | 3.9 | 3.9 |
| Tyre condition (front) | 2.3 | 3.7 | 4.7 |
| Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test) | 1.2 | 3.7 | 5.9 |
| Horn | 3.4 | 3.0 | 3.5 |
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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