At a glance
How 6,371 first tests went in 2025.
- Passed first time
- 57 in every 100
- Did not pass first time
- 43 in every 1002,756 failed first-attempt tests
- The typical car
- 14 yearsabout 104,618 miles
- First tests counted
- 6,371
What failed most often
- Headlight aim11 in every 100 failed tests
- Coil spring (front)11 in every 100 failed tests
- 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.
These are patterns across 2011 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.
Steering
Two faults. The strongest is the steering rack play: 17 times as often as on similar cars.
Figures below are measured across the 2,632 of 2,756 failed first attempts (95.5%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like. 4.5% 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.
Steering rack play
What it means
Excessive free play at the steering wheel rim, with a steering rack fitted, is Major, and Dangerous where the play is excessive to the extent that safe steering is affected. Play from wear or maladjustment must not be confused with apparent play from the way the mechanism is built, such as flexible joints.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 65 first tests, 5.8 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.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 32 first tests, 2.6 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
Two faults. The strongest is the horn: 3.1 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.
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.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Brakes
One fault: rigid brake pipes (rear), 2.9 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 358 first tests, 3.3 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.
Body and structure
Two faults. The strongest is the 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.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 147 first tests, 2.9 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.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 85 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.
Suspension
One fault: shock absorbers (front), 2.4 times as often as on similar cars.
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 408 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.
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.
Swivel pins and bushes (rear)
Suspension mounting area (front)
Flexible brake hoses (front)
Non-component advisories (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
- 57in 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
- 36in every 100
- Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.
First-attempt pass 56.7% of 6,371 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 63.9%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 7 fixed and the 36 not fixed make the 43 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, 58 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 | 48 in every 100 | 3,965 |
| 2009 | 48 in every 100 | 3,040 |
| 2010 | 53 in every 100 | 5,390 |
| 2011 This car | 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 matters most on a 2011 Combo.
Of 2011 Combo vehicles with under 67,000 miles, 74 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 152,000 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 67,000 | 91,000–120,000 | 152,000 and over | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headlight aim | 2.2 | 4.9 | 6.5 |
| Coil spring (front) | 3.2 | 4.6 | 5.5 |
| Individual sidelight or tail light (front) | 0.8 | 4.8 | 7.3 |
| Windscreen washers | 2.4 | 5.2 | 5.1 |
| Tyre condition (front) | 2.1 | 5.2 | 4.6 |
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.
Check any vehicle’s MOT history
Full MOT history, mileage records, and reliability insights for any UK vehicle.
Run a free check