Is your automotive one of the vital more likely to fail an MOT? Ten fashions with go charges beneath 50% this yr

The cars most likely to fail their MOT have been revealed in exclusive data shared with This is Money.

Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency records for January to the end of October this year, named the 10 models with the shameful honour of flunking more than half of their annual roadworthiness tests.

While the average pass rate for the year so far is 71.8 per cent (based on 15,535,112 out of 21,642,614 passenger cars passing first time), according to the DVSA, the ten cars listed have meagre MOT success statistics between 45.3 and 48.9 per cent. 

More than half of these models required a second MOT and likely costly repairs to ensure they sail through that retest. Alternatively, some cars could have been deemed unfit for the road and scrapped.

Based on the number of MOTs carried out in the first ten months of the year, at least 34,645 UK drivers own one of the 10 models with the worst records. However, taking into account the data doesn’t include November and December tests, there’s likely closer to 40,000 of them on the road.

This still represents a tiny fraction (around 0.1 per cent) of vehicles tested each year, but there are some popular motors on the list, including a French family hatchback that was a major seller in the mid-2000s.

Of the 6.1million cars that failed MOTs so far this year, more than 1.7million (27.9 per cent) were found to have dangerous defects, according to analysis of DVSA records carried out by vehicle leasing comparison website, LeaseLoco.

Defect categories were introduced to the MOT in May 2018 to differentiate between minor, major and dangerous issues identified during the test.

In the case of both major and dangerous defects, just one of these instances results in an automatic MOT fail.

Despite the introduction of stricter rules and defect categories, pass rates have gradually been on the rise.

In 2013-14, the average pass rate for cars and vans was just 60 per cent. However, by 2018-19 this had risen to 66.4 per cent and last year the average MOT success rate on the first attempt was 71.4 per cent. 

‘Our study’s findings emphasise the critical importance of regular maintenance to ensure vehicles meet safety standards and keep our roads safe,’ said John Wilmot, CEO at the comparison site.

‘While the MOT can be a stressful and potentially costly part of car ownership, it is a vital process to ensure roadworthiness and safety. 

‘Motorists can reduce stress and improve their chances of passing first-time by performing basic pre-MOT checks and maintaining regular servicing throughout the year.’

Here’s the countdown of the top 10 models with the highest MOT fail rates in 2024…

10. Chevrolet Lacetti (2005-2011)

The name Lacetti might sound fairly exotic, but you don’t get much luxury from this low-budget early 2000s family hatchback.

While it was – partially – penned by famous design house Italdesign and offered lots of interior space at a low price, numbers have dwindled dramatically since it went out of production in 2011, likely due to poor build quality. The Lacetti were far from exciting to drive, had thirsty engines and felt dated in 2005, let alone today.

Of the 1,380 that have been MOT’d so far this year, 705 failed at the first attempt. 

9.  Peugeot 307 (2001-2007)

Here’s that popular French family hatchback we mentioned earlier. The 307 was bought in pretty substantial numbers between 2001 and 2007 but it has always had a pretty poor reliability track record. And this is proved by its high MOT fail rate. 

Just 48.6 per cent of the 19,500 or so tested between January and the end of October passed at the first time of asking. 

You can pick up 307s at bargain prices today, but it’s well worth spending a little extra on a similar-age VW Golf, which is both better to drive and feels far classier and more robust inside.

8. Chevrolet Aveo (2008-2015)

The Aveo was sold across two generations from 2008 to 2011 and 2011 to 2015. The fruits of the US muscle car brand’s European General Motors division, it was cheap, cheerful and – in the second generation particularly – good to drive with lots of refinement.

Buyers would have also been tempted by the brand’s five-year warranty, which at the time was one of the longest available.

But some nine years after its availability diminished, examples still on the road today are seemingly struggling to get through their MOTs, at 48.4 per cent.

7. Chevrolet Kalos (2005-2008)

The third – and last – Chevrolet on the list is the Kalos, which suggests most of the American brand’s EU-spec models from the noughties are not holding up to the test of time all that well.

Of the near 1,600 that have undergone MOTs in 2024, 47.6 per cent have failed.

Again, these are going very cheap on the used market. While they’re spacious and inexpensive, they do lack interior quality and refinement, which is particularly noticeable at motorway speeds. 

6. Citroen Grand C4 Picasso (2007-2013)

If, in the late noughties and early 2010s, you were looking for a capacious MPV with oodles of practicality, the Grand C4 Picasso would likely have been on your shopping list.

It offers a refined and quality ride with lots of [back in the day] clever features, including easy fold-flat seats in the back, a bounty of hidden storage bins and even a boot light that could be removed to double as a torch. 

However, they’re starting to show signs of age and therefore MOT pass rates are on the decline to just 47.6 per cent this year. Opt for the second-generation C4 Grand Picasso (2014-2018) and MOT success rates are much higher at 67.8 per cent, DVSA records show.

5. Daewoo Matiz (1998-2005)

If you wanted a budget-friendly small runaround in the late 1990s, the Daewoo Matiz was a genuine five-seat supermini with a decent boot and more generous spec than models from mainstream rivals.

When it launched, it came with a 0.8-litre engine; it felt underpowered then, let alone today when it must feel incredibly pedestrian on motorways.

Unsurprisingly for a car that’s up to 26 years old and built to a budget, it doesn’t have the greatest MOT success rate. Just over 600 examples have been tested in 2024 and the first-time pass rate is 47.5 per cent. 

4. Dodge Caliber (2006-2009)  

When conducting the analysis, LeaseLoco said it would only consider models with a 2024 MOT sample size in excess of 500. And the long-forgotten Dodge Caliber is just about eligible with 551 tested this year.

The crossover was only on sale in the UK for three years – and for good reason. What it offered in space in lacked in handling and refinement. It also had an unforgivably cheap interior.

An MOT pass rate of just 47.2 per cent makes this a cheap used buy to avoid. 

3. Citroen C8 (2003-2010)

Citroen’s C8 was a shared-platform MPV that was underpinned by the same foundations as the Fiat Ulysse and Peugeot 807 (which we’ll come to very shortly). 

Arguably, while no people carrier is fantastic to drive, this is a very comfortable long-distance cruiser that’s hugely spacious and good value. Sliding side doors are also a practical feature you rarely see in 2024 new models.

But, like so many of the cars in this list, Father Time has caught up with the C8 and owners are likely incurring extra costs to get them through the MOT. With a pass rate of just 46.5 per cent, it’s well below the UK average.

2. Peugeot 807 (2002-2010)

Considering the Citroen C8’s (above) poor MOT pass record, it’s not surprising to see its sister model – the Peugeot 807 – suffering in the same department.

Once a popular choice for taxi and airport shuttle services – as well as big families needing lots of seats and space for three or more children – it is rapidly disappearing from our roads.

And that might be because many are difficult to get through an MOT, with DVSA records for this year showing that a mere 46.1 per cent pass the roadworthiness test at the first time of asking. 

1. Mitsubishi Space Star (1999-2005)

The Mitsubishi Space Star has been awarded the unwanted crown as the car with the lowest MOT pass rate.

With 943 tested so far in 2024, some 516 failed their initial test, resulting in a pass rate of just 45.3 per cent.

The Space Star was never a big seller for the Japanese brand, which opted out of the UK new car market back in 2020 due to a lack of demand. 

The early noughties model was a supermini with MPV aspirations, though a lack of versatility meant it didn’t appeal to many customers. Its MOT performance this year suggests used car buyers on a budget should look elsewhere.