Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Vauxhall Corsa 2019: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 80 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2019 Vauxhall Corsa were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Coil spring (front).

Summary

A 2019 Vauxhall Corsa passed first time about 1 in every 100 more often than the average of the 2018 and 2020 model years.

At a glance

How 51,441 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
80 in every 100
Did not pass first time
20 in every 10010,215 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
6 yearsabout 35,834 miles
First tests counted
51,441

What failed most often

  1. Coil spring (front)20 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Tyre tread depth (front)8 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Windscreen washers8 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 2019 Vauxhall Corsa 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 macpherson strut (front): 27 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 10,214 of 10,215 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.

Macpherson strut (front)

Failed on 211 first tests27 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

Many MacPherson strut top bushes are designed to have significant lateral play when the suspension hangs free, so a top bush is rejected only when the play comes from wear or maladjustment. A top bush or bearing with excessive wear or free play is Major. Rubber or synthetic bushes are rejected only for serious deterioration of the bonding or flexible material.

Coil spring (front)

Failed on 2,035 first tests12 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

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.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 37 first tests, 3.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Shock absorbers (front)

Failed on 353 first tests3.8 times as often as similar carsLikely 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.

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: reversing lights, 23 times as often as on similar cars.

Reversing lights

Failed on 579 first tests23 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.

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.

Macpherson strut ball joint (front)

Noted on 25 first tests39 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Macpherson strut pins and bushes (front)

Noted on 357 first tests30 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

Macpherson strut bracket and mounting (front)

Noted on 29 first tests18 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

Suspension sub-frame (front)

Noted on 33 first tests4.7 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, rear)

Noted on 47 first tests4.2 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

Coil spring (rear)

Noted on 67 first tests3.1 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Shock absorbers (rear)

Noted on 239 first tests2.3 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
80in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
4in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
16in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 80.1% of 51,441 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 84.5%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 4 fixed and the 16 not fixed make the 20 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

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

40608010020002005201020152019Older carsNewer cars
406080100200020102019Older 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, 81 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
199761 in every 100393
199863 in every 100581
199958 in every 100746
200058 in every 100978
200152 in every 1002,291
200250 in every 1003,422
200351 in every 1005,112
200449 in every 1006,100
200550 in every 1008,630
200649 in every 10012,977
200752 in every 10025,689
200853 in every 10034,291
200954 in every 10038,165
201054 in every 10044,205
201156 in every 10051,511
201257 in every 10065,235
201358 in every 10066,425
201457 in every 10069,021
201563 in every 10083,121
201666 in every 10072,530
201768 in every 10049,963
201873 in every 10051,156
2019 This car80 in every 10051,441
202085 in every 10043,640
202182 in every 10038,722
202286 in every 10033,935

If you are buying one

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

Mileage matters most on a 2019 Corsa.

Of 2019 Corsa vehicles with under 22,000 miles, 85 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 52,000 miles or more, 73 in every 100 did.

Under 22,0009,858 tests
85
22,000–31,00010,087 tests
82
31,000–40,000 Typical car10,567 tests
82
40,000–52,00010,530 tests
79
52,000 and over10,396 tests
73

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 22,00031,000–40,00052,000 and over
Coil spring (front)5.53.52.9
Tyre tread depth (front)0.21.52.9
Windscreen washers0.61.52.3
Brake pads (front)0.31.91.7
Tyre condition (front)1.01.42.0

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

When a car fails

59in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

15in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

4in 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.

A 2019 Vauxhall Corsa passed first time about 1 in every 100 more often than the average of the 2018 and 2020 model years. In 2025, 80.1% of 51,441 first MOTs on the 2019 Vauxhall Corsa passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 84.5%. Among 10,215 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Macpherson strut (front) appears more often than on similar cars (2.1% of those tests; 211 observed failures; about 27× 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 2019 Vauxhall Corsa at the first attempt were Coil spring (front) (19.9%), Tyre tread depth (front) (7.9%) and Windscreen washers (7.8%), 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: Macpherson strut (front) (2.1% of those tests; 211 observed failures; about 27× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Macpherson strut (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (2.1% of those tests; 211 observed failures; about 27× 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 2019 Vauxhall Corsa include Macpherson strut (front), Reversing lights, Coil spring (front). 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 2019 Vauxhall Corsa (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