Model Reports 5 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Vauxhall Corsa 2021: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 82 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2021 Vauxhall Corsa were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Windscreen wipers (front).

Summary

At the same mileage, a petrol 2021 Vauxhall Corsa passed first time more often than an electric one: 83 in every 100 against 75 in every 100.

At a glance

How 38,722 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
82 in every 100
Did not pass first time
18 in every 1006,967 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
4 yearsabout 27,487 miles
First tests counted
38,722

What failed most often

  1. Windscreen wipers (front)30 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Tyre condition (front)10 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Tyre tread depth (front)7 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 2021 Vauxhall Corsa 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

One fault: anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front), 5.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 6,967 failed first attempts in 2025 that had a mileage recorded, which allows a like-for-like comparison.

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.

Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front)

Failed on 222 first tests5.7 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

A suspension joint dust cover that is severely deteriorated is Minor. It becomes Major once it is missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt, so what matters is whether it still keeps dirt out. DVSA words this for any suspension joint dust cover, and files it here under anti-roll bars.

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

Brakes

One wear pattern: brake discs (front), 3.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake discs (front)

Failed on 216 first tests3.2 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

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 1,117 first tests, 2.0 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.

Visibility

One fault: windscreen wipers (front), 2.6 times as often as on similar cars.

Windscreen wipers (front)

Failed on 2,061 first tests2.6 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Only a clearly damaged or worn windscreen wiper needs to be rejected. A wiper that is missing or not working is graded Major, and so is a blade that is missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen. A defective blade is graded Minor.

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.

Brake performance (roller test, rear)

Noted on 110 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Wheel condition (rear)

Noted on 37 first tests2.2 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
82in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
5in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
13in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 82.0% of 38,722 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 86.9%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 5 fixed and the 13 not fixed make the 18 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

By fuel type

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Petrol33,04327,624 miles8383
Electric5,15025,746 miles7675
Diesel52748,614 miles8079

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.

40608010020002005201020152021Older cars
406080100200020102021Older 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, 85 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
201980 in every 10051,441
202085 in every 10043,640
2021 This car82 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 makes a modest difference on a 2021 Corsa.

Of 2021 Corsa vehicles with under 18,000 miles, 87 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 41,000 miles or more, 79 in every 100 did.

Under 18,0007,941 tests
87
18,000–24,0007,179 tests
83
24,000–31,000 Typical car8,110 tests
81
31,000–41,0007,817 tests
79
41,000 and over7,674 tests
79

Which fuel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested		Passed first time,
same mileage
Petrol27,624 miles8383
Electric25,746 miles7675

Figures are in every 100 first tests. At the same mileage, petrol passed more often (83 against 75 in every 100).

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 18,00024,000–31,00041,000 and over
Windscreen wipers (front)4.85.74.4
Tyre condition (front)1.62.11.9
Tyre tread depth (front)0.41.31.8
Brake pads (front)0.11.01.6
Headlight aim0.70.70.9

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

When a car fails

57in 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.

At the same mileage, a petrol 2021 Vauxhall Corsa passed first time more often than an electric one: 83 in every 100 against 75 in every 100. In 2025, 82.0% of 38,722 first MOTs on the 2021 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 86.9%. Among 6,967 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front) appears more often than on similar cars (3.2% of those tests; 222 observed failures; about 5.7× 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 2021 Vauxhall Corsa at the first attempt were Windscreen wipers (front) (29.6%), Tyre condition (front) (10.1%) and Tyre tread depth (front) (6.7%), 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: Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front) (3.2% of those tests; 222 observed failures; about 5.7× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (3.2% of those tests; 222 observed failures; about 5.7× 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 2021 Vauxhall Corsa include Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front), Windscreen wipers (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 2021 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.

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