At a glance
How 8,667 first tests went in 2025.
- Passed first time
- 73 in every 100
- Did not pass first time
- 27 in every 1002,352 failed first-attempt tests
- The typical car
- 3 yearsabout 42,901 miles
- First tests counted
- 8,667
What failed most often
- Windscreen wipers (front)14 in every 100 failed tests
- Brake pads (rear)14 in every 100 failed tests
- Number plate lights10 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 2022 Vauxhall Vivaro 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.
Lamps and electrical
Five faults and one wear pattern. The strongest is the individual sidelight or tail light (rear): 6.8 times as often as on similar cars.
Figures below are measured across the 2,352 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.
Individual sidelight or tail light (rear)
What it means
A position lamp showing red light to the front or white light to the rear is Major. Rear lamps must show a steady red light, and front ones can show white, predominantly white with a blue tinge, or yellow if combined in a yellow headlamp. With a multiple light source, up to half not working is Minor and more than half is Major.
Brake light (rear)
What it means
All stop lamps missing or not working is graded Dangerous, and so is a stop lamp that stays on when the brakes are released. A stop lamp that is missing or not working is Major. On some vehicles with LED rear lamps, part of the stop lamp can go out when the rear fog lamp is lit, which is not regarded as a defect.
Individual sidelight or tail light (front)
What it means
A position lamp showing red light to the front or white light to the rear is Major. Rear lamps must show a steady red light, and front ones can show white, predominantly white with a blue tinge, or yellow if combined in a yellow headlamp. With a multiple light source, up to half not working is Minor and more than half is Major.
Number plate lights (rear)
What it means
Registration plate lamps must light up the rear registration plate and operate at the same time as the position lamps. A missing or inoperative lamp is Major when the plate has only one lamp or all its lamps are not working, and Minor when the plate has several lamps or light sources and not all have failed. A lamp throwing direct white light to the rear is also Minor.
Headlight aim not tested (front)
What it means
Headlamp aim recorded as not tested, or unable to be tested, is a Major failure. These results must only be used where it becomes apparent during the test that the item cannot be tested, and this could not have been identified before starting. The reason must be included in the additional information box.
Headlight (front)
What it means
On vehicles first used on or after a set date, a halogen headlamp unit converted to take HID or LED bulbs fails for light source and lamp not compatible, which is Major. A complete unit built with those light sources is not failed for that. The precise position of the lamps is not part of the inspection beyond a visual look to see that they sit at about the same height and distance from each side.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Noise, emissions and leaks
One fault: diesel engine warning light, 3.2 times as often as on similar cars.
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.
Brakes
Three wear patterns. The strongest is the brake pads (rear): 2.6 times as often as on similar cars.
Brake pads (rear)
What it means
A pad worn down to its wear indicator, or contaminated with oil or grease, is Major. A pad worn below the set thickness limit, missing or incorrectly mounted is Dangerous. The manual treats an illuminated brake wear indicator as no reason for failure, although DVSA also lists an illuminated indicator as a Major row.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 333 first tests, 2.6 times as often as on similar cars.
Brake discs (rear)
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 303 first tests, 2.0 times as often as on similar cars.
Brake discs (front)
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.
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.
Transmission oil leaks (front)
Engine oil leaks
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
- 73in 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
- 19in every 100
- Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.
First-attempt pass 72.9% of 8,667 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 81.4%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 8 fixed and the 19 not fixed make the 27 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.
| Year | Passed first time | First tests |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 45 in every 100 | 575 |
| 2003 | 49 in every 100 | 1,502 |
| 2004 | 49 in every 100 | 3,016 |
| 2005 | 47 in every 100 | 4,422 |
| 2006 | 46 in every 100 | 5,531 |
| 2007 | 47 in every 100 | 6,600 |
| 2008 | 47 in every 100 | 6,650 |
| 2009 | 45 in every 100 | 3,306 |
| 2010 | 44 in every 100 | 5,520 |
| 2011 | 46 in every 100 | 9,118 |
| 2012 | 45 in every 100 | 7,619 |
| 2013 | 48 in every 100 | 9,127 |
| 2014 | 51 in every 100 | 11,595 |
| 2015 | 56 in every 100 | 20,260 |
| 2016 | 60 in every 100 | 17,638 |
| 2017 | 61 in every 100 | 11,448 |
| 2018 | 65 in every 100 | 10,688 |
| 2019 | 72 in every 100 | 9,709 |
| 2020 | 75 in every 100 | 9,356 |
| 2021 | 72 in every 100 | 10,801 |
| 2022 This car | 73 in every 100 | 8,667 |
If you are buying one
What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.
Mileage matters most on a 2022 Vivaro.
Of 2022 Vivaro vehicles with under 26,000 miles, 84 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 63,000 miles or more, 64 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 26,000 | 37,000–49,000 | 63,000 and over | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windscreen wipers (front) | 2.1 | 4.4 | 4.9 |
| Brake pads (rear) | 0.7 | 4.0 | 4.6 |
| Number plate lights | 0.6 | 2.6 | 5.0 |
| Headlight aim | 1.2 | 2.9 | 3.1 |
| Tyre condition (rear) | 0.6 | 2.0 | 3.2 |
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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