At a glance
How 3,965 first tests went in 2025.
- Passed first time
- 48 in every 100
- Did not pass first time
- 52 in every 1002,065 failed first-attempt tests
- The typical car
- 17 yearsabout 127,612 miles
- First tests counted
- 3,965
What failed most often
- Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)11 in every 100 failed tests
- Drive shaft joints and boots (front)11 in every 100 failed tests
- Suspension arm ball joint (front)10 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 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.
Suspension
Two faults. The strongest is the suspension sub-frame (front): 5.3 times as often as on similar cars.
Figures below are measured across the 1,978 of 2,065 failed first attempts (95.8%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like. 4.2% 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.
Suspension sub-frame (front)
What it means
A suspension sub-frame insecurely attached to the chassis or axle is Major, and Dangerous when it is insecure and impairing directional stability. A sub-frame that is missing, likely to become detached, fractured or likely to fail is also Dangerous. Excessive damage or corrosion that seriously weakens it is Major.
Shock absorbers (front)
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 343 first tests, 4.3 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.
Brakes
One fault: rigid brake pipes (rear), 3.6 times as often as on similar cars.
Rigid brake pipes (rear)
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 487 first tests, 4.0 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.
Noise, emissions and leaks
Two faults. The strongest is the diesel emissions not tested: 3.5 times as often as on similar cars.
Diesel emissions not tested
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
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.
Body and structure
One fault: exhaust system (rear), 2.5 times as often as on similar cars.
Exhaust system (rear)
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.
Steering
One fault: track rod end, 2.1 times as often as on similar cars.
Track rod end
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.
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
Swivel pins and bushes (rear)
Brake pedal
Non-component advisories (front)
Shock absorbers (rear)
Track rod end (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
- 48in 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
- 44in every 100
- Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.
First-attempt pass 47.9% of 3,965 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 55.7%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 8 fixed and the 44 not fixed make the 52 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. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 47 in every 100 passed first time.
| Year | Passed first time | First tests |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 48 in every 100 | 361 |
| 2003 | 47 in every 100 | 1,015 |
| 2004 | 47 in every 100 | 1,384 |
| 2005 | 50 in every 100 | 1,546 |
| 2006 | 46 in every 100 | 2,438 |
| 2007 | 46 in every 100 | 3,248 |
| 2008 This car | 48 in every 100 | 3,965 |
| 2009 | 48 in every 100 | 3,040 |
| 2010 | 53 in every 100 | 5,390 |
| 2011 | 57 in every 100 | 6,371 |
| 2012 | 51 in every 100 | 2,424 |
| 2013 | 53 in every 100 | 2,677 |
| 2014 | 55 in every 100 | 4,193 |
| 2015 | 57 in every 100 | 4,558 |
| 2016 | 58 in every 100 | 4,647 |
| 2017 | 60 in every 100 | 3,339 |
| 2018 | 66 in every 100 | 2,772 |
| 2019 | 73 in every 100 | 14,954 |
| 2020 | 74 in every 100 | 12,793 |
| 2021 | 72 in every 100 | 11,422 |
| 2022 | 74 in every 100 | 6,161 |
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 2008 Combo.
Of 2008 Combo vehicles with under 95,000 miles, 52 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 162,000 miles or more, 47 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 95,000 | 117,000–138,000 | 162,000 and over | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test) | 2.0 | 6.3 | 7.3 |
| Drive shaft joints and boots (front) | 2.7 | 6.1 | 7.8 |
| Suspension arm ball joint (front) | 3.2 | 6.8 | 4.6 |
| Headlight aim | 4.3 | 5.5 | 6.3 |
| Individual sidelight or tail light (front) | 2.8 | 4.8 | 6.3 |
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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