Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Vauxhall Combo 2007: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 46 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2007 Vauxhall Combo were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test).

Summary

The 2007 Vauxhall Combo follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 3,248 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
46 in every 100
Did not pass first time
54 in every 1001,770 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
18 yearsabout 128,734 miles
First tests counted
3,248

What failed most often

  1. Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)13 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Headlight aim11 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Individual sidelight or tail light (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.

Note:

These are patterns across 2007 Vauxhall Combo 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.

Noise, emissions and leaks

Two faults. The strongest is the diesel emissions not tested: 3.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 1,699 of 1,770 failed first attempts (96.0%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like. 4.0% of failures are excluded because no mileage was recorded, so treat these shares as indicative for this model year.

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.

Diesel emissions not tested

Failed on 38 first tests3.2 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

An emissions test on a diesel that is unable to be completed is graded Major. The failure wording 'not tested' carries the same Major grade.

Diesel engine warning light

Failed on 59 first tests2.6 times as often as similar carsPossible 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): 3.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Rigid brake pipes (rear)

Failed on 142 first tests3.0 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 425 first tests, 3.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Handbrake performance (roller test)

Failed on 54 first tests2.3 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 count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

Body and structure

Two faults. The strongest is the exhaust system (rear): 2.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Exhaust system (rear)

Failed on 87 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

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.

Exhaust system (front)

Failed on 41 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

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.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 69 first tests, 2.3 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.

Steering

One fault: track rod end, 2.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Track rod end

Failed on 68 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play is Major, and one worn to the extent there is a serious risk of detachment is graded Dangerous. A dust cover that is damaged but still keeps dirt out is Minor, and one missing or no longer keeping dirt out is Major. Testers must tell wear from a joint's built-in clearance or spring loading.

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

Suspension

One fault: shock absorbers (front), 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Shock absorbers (front)

Failed on 91 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Slight seepage that leaves a film of fluid on a shock absorber does not fail it. Severe leakage, or damage so that it does not function, is Major. A shock absorber missing or likely to become detached is graded Dangerous, though a missing one is only rejected if shock absorbers were fitted as standard.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 258 first tests, 3.7 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.

Lamps and electrical

One fault: horn, 2.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Horn

Failed on 53 first tests2.0 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.

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.

Steering rack play

Noted on 41 first tests6.6 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

Swivel pins and bushes (rear)

Noted on 78 first tests3.8 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Non-component advisories (front)

Noted on 236 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake pedal

Noted on 23 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Individual direction indicators (rear)

Noted on 50 first tests2.1 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
46in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
8in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
46in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 45.5% of 3,248 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 53.5%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 8 fixed and the 46 not fixed make the 54 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

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

4060801002007201020152020Older carsNewer cars
406080100200720102020Newer 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, 47 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200248 in every 100361
200347 in every 1001,015
200447 in every 1001,384
200550 in every 1001,546
200646 in every 1002,438
2007 This car46 in every 1003,248
200848 in every 1003,965
200948 in every 1003,040
201053 in every 1005,390
201157 in every 1006,371
201251 in every 1002,424
201353 in every 1002,677
201455 in every 1004,193
201557 in every 1004,558
201658 in every 1004,647
201760 in every 1003,339
201866 in every 1002,772
201973 in every 10014,954
202074 in every 10012,793
202172 in every 10011,422
202274 in every 1006,161

If you are buying one

What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.

Mileage makes a modest difference on a 2007 Combo.

Of 2007 Combo vehicles with under 96,000 miles, 49 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 163,000 miles or more, 45 in every 100 did.

Under 96,000625 tests
49
96,000–119,000637 tests
43
119,000–139,000 Typical car626 tests
46
139,000–163,000617 tests
45
163,000 and over630 tests
45

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 96,000119,000–139,000163,000 and over
Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)4.87.78.9
Headlight aim4.06.58.7
Individual sidelight or tail light (front)2.27.57.0
Suspension arm ball joint (front)4.65.65.6
Tyre condition (front)4.34.56.3

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

When a car fails

16in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

66in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

17in 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 2007 Vauxhall Combo follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test), about 13 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 45.5% of 3,248 first MOTs on the 2007 Vauxhall Combo passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 53.5%. Among 1,770 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Diesel emissions not tested appears more often than on similar cars (2.2% of those tests; 38 observed failures; about 3.2× 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 2007 Vauxhall Combo at the first attempt were Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test) (12.5%), Headlight aim (10.9%) and Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (10.7%), 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: Diesel emissions not tested (2.2% of those tests; 38 observed failures; about 3.2× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Diesel emissions not tested shows up more often than on similar cars (2.2% of those tests; 38 observed failures; about 3.2× 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 2007 Vauxhall Combo include Diesel emissions not tested, Rigid brake pipes (rear), Diesel engine warning light. 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 2007 Vauxhall Combo (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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