Most likely car to fail first MOT named!

By: Motor Easy

Our team reviewed data obtained data from the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) via a Freedom of Information (FOI) request. You can see the complete tables at the bottom of this article, with the key facts outlined. Make sure you make an educated decision when it comes to picking your next vehicle.

The Vauxhall Zafira has been revealed as the popular car most likely to fail its first MOT. It revealed that Vauxhall Zafiras failed 31.15% of first MOT tests taken in 2021, while the Renault Clio had a figure of 22.2% and the Volkswagen Passat 21.73%.

The Ford Fiesta, the most popular car on UK roads, was ranked 18th worst out of the top 30 with 13.71% initial MOT failures. This was followed closely by the Ford Focus (13.32%) and the Vauxhall Corsa (19.01%) were 21st and fifth respectively.

Of the top 30 most popular models on British roads, the Honda Jazz had the lowest first-time failure rate of 6.7%, with Honda’s Civic (10.34%) and the Toyota Aygo (10.68%) the next best.

French companies made up the top three of the manufacturers – Citroen with 19.89%, Renault with 19.52% and Peugeot with 17.38%. 

Japanese marque Honda proved the most reliable, with only 8.55% of its vehicles failing to pass the required safety checks first time.

Audi (12.61%), Volvo (12.88%) and MINI (12.95%) were the next best.

Duncan McClure Fisher, Chief Executive of MotorEasy, said: “Almost a third of Vauxhall Zafiras having a first MOT in 2021 failed the initial test. Of the 30 most popular models on British roads, 17 of them had an initial failure rate of 14% or more.

“While Vauxhall ranks highest for popular models with the Zafira, it’s the French manufacturers who come out the worst overall.

“Not only is the Clio second on the list of highest initial MOT failures but Renault, Citroen and Peugeot are the top three in the brands chart.

“It’s definitely food for thought for those buying new and nearly-new models, and strengthens the case of having an extended warranty in place to guard against being left with a large repair bill if things go wrong.” 

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