At a glance
How 7,162 first tests went in 2025.
- Passed first time
- 52 in every 100
- Did not pass first time
- 48 in every 1003,418 failed first-attempt tests
- The typical car
- 16 yearsabout 106,159 miles
- First tests counted
- 7,162
What failed most often
- Petrol engine warning light15 in every 100 failed tests
- Coil spring (front)13 in every 100 failed tests
- Petrol emissions (with catalyst)12 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 2009 Vauxhall Zafira 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
Three faults. The strongest is the suspension sub-frame mounting area (front): 18 times as often as on similar cars.
Figures below are measured across the 3,416 of 3,418 failed first attempts (99.9%) 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.
Suspension sub-frame mounting area (front)
What it means
Structure around a sub-frame mounting that is so weakened that control of the vehicle is likely to be adversely affected is graded Dangerous, whether it is damaged, fractured, corroded or inadequately repaired. It is Major when strength is significantly reduced by excessive corrosion, damage or a fracture, or when it is inadequately repaired.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 166 first tests, 11 times as often as on similar cars.
Swivel pins and bushes (rear)
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 245 first tests, 6.1 times as often as on similar cars.
Anti-roll bar linkage (front)
What it means
An anti-roll bar linkage is graded Dangerous when a suspension component is missing, likely to become detached, fractured or likely to fail. Insecure attachment that impairs directional stability is graded Dangerous too. Excessive damage or corrosion that seriously weakens the part is Major, and so is plain insecure attachment to the chassis or axle.
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 petrol engine warning light: 4.2 times as often as on similar cars.
Petrol engine warning light
What it means
The malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) on a petrol engine is a Major failure when it is illuminated indicating a malfunction. The detail line DVSA gives for the same row also names an inoperative lamp. The test covers only certain petrol vehicles, depending on their age, size and fuel type.
Petrol emissions (with catalyst)
What it means
Emissions levels over the manufacturer's specified limits are Major, as are levels over default limits, which apply when no exact match is found for the vehicle. Dense blue or clearly visible black smoke at idle, held for a set period, is Major, except for certain older vehicles and two stroke engines where smoke is unavoidable. An induction or exhaust leak that could affect emissions levels is Major too.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Lamps and electrical
One fault: horn, 3.8 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.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Brakes
Two wear patterns. The strongest is the brake discs (rear): 2.7 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.
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 274 first tests, 2.2 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.
Suspension sub-frame pins and bushes (rear)
Seat belt condition (rear)
Individual direction indicators (rear)
Shock absorbers (rear)
Suspension mounting area (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
- 52in every 100
- Passed on the first test.
- Fixed at the station
- 9in every 100
- Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
- Failed
- 39in every 100
- Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.
First-attempt pass 52.3% of 7,162 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 61.0%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 9 fixed and the 39 not fixed make the 48 in every 100 that did not pass first time.
Petrol and diesel
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.
Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 51 in every 100 passed first time.
| Year | Passed first time | First tests |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 55 in every 100 | 500 |
| 2002 | 53 in every 100 | 1,011 |
| 2003 | 52 in every 100 | 1,665 |
| 2004 | 52 in every 100 | 2,822 |
| 2005 | 51 in every 100 | 3,730 |
| 2006 | 53 in every 100 | 5,180 |
| 2007 | 50 in every 100 | 8,100 |
| 2008 | 52 in every 100 | 9,685 |
| 2009 This car | 52 in every 100 | 7,162 |
| 2010 | 55 in every 100 | 12,982 |
| 2011 | 56 in every 100 | 10,374 |
| 2012 | 60 in every 100 | 13,902 |
| 2013 | 62 in every 100 | 24,790 |
| 2014 | 65 in every 100 | 25,167 |
| 2015 | 69 in every 100 | 13,395 |
| 2016 | 70 in every 100 | 10,864 |
| 2017 | 73 in every 100 | 11,209 |
| 2018 | 77 in every 100 | 4,555 |
If you are buying one
What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.
Mileage matters most on a 2009 Zafira.
Of 2009 Zafira vehicles with under 81,000 miles, 62 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 132,000 miles or more, 47 in every 100 did.
Petrol or diesel?
| Typical mileage | Passed first time, as tested | Passed first time, same mileage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 104,265 miles | 52 | 52 |
| Diesel | 114,206 miles | 53 | 55 |
Figures are in every 100 first tests. At the same mileage there is no clear difference between the two.
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 81,000 | 98,000–113,000 | 132,000 and over | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol engine warning light | 4.1 | 8.6 | 6.8 |
| Coil spring (front) | 5.1 | 6.2 | 6.6 |
| Petrol emissions (with catalyst) | 2.8 | 7.9 | 6.2 |
| Tyre condition (front) | 2.6 | 3.7 | 5.0 |
| Headlight aim | 2.8 | 3.3 | 4.4 |
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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