Used car rankings from MOT data
Least reliable 5 year old cars by MOT fail rate
We ranked 205 cars by the share of MOT tests they failed at 5 years old, against 14.3% for all cars that age. From 8,130,146 DVSA MOT tests in Great Britain, 2022 to 2025.
MOT data updated
First in this list (n=11,055)24.3%
All cars, same age14.3%
Ranked205
MOT tests used8,130,146
First in this list: Fiat Tipo.
How this ranking works
- Data: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal tests in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales), 2022 to 2025. Northern Ireland tests its cars separately and is not included. A fail is a test marked fail or passed after a repair at the test station.
- Measure: share of MOTs failed by cars 5 years old (test year minus first-use year).
- Comparison: all cars means every class 4 MOT test except vans, pickups, taxis, campers, van-based people carriers, motorhome and minibus bases and used imports, weighted to each row's own mix of ages.
- Thresholds: every age behind a row here has at least 5,000 tests. A model generation is ranked only with at least 3 ages of 1,000 tests or more. A list is published only with at least 10 ranked rows.
- Vans, pickups, taxis, campers, van-based people carriers, motorhome and minibus bases, and models sold here mainly as used imports are left out of car lists.
- Years in brackets are the first-use years of a model generation.
The ranking
| # | Model | MOT fail rate | All cars, same age | Tests (n) | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fiat TipoCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 24.3% | 14.3% | 11,055 | 41,000 miles |
| 2 | Dacia LoganCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 23.5% | 14.3% | 7,355 | 39,900 miles |
| 3 | Dacia DusterCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 23.3% | 14.3% | 38,500 | 35,300 miles |
| 4 | Citroen C4 Grand PicassoCommon problems · ULEZ | 23.1% | 14.3% | 12,527 | 41,800 miles |
| 5 | Citroen C4 CactusCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 23.0% | 14.3% | 17,209 | 34,500 miles |
| 6 | Ford Grand C-MaxCommon problems · ULEZ | 22.8% | 14.3% | 7,830 | 36,200 miles |
| 7 | DS DS3Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 22.4% | 14.3% | 14,684 | 31,400 miles |
| 8 | Dacia SanderoCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 22.0% | 14.3% | 49,541 | 29,500 miles |
| 9 | Renault ZoeCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 21.8% | 14.3% | 11,305 | 29,200 miles |
| 10 | Renault MeganeCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 21.1% | 14.3% | 10,480 | 39,100 miles |
| 11 | Citroen C4Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 21.0% | 14.3% | 8,770 | 38,400 miles |
| 12 | Renault ClioCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 20.8% | 14.3% | 67,679 | 31,900 miles |
| 13 | MG 3Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 20.4% | 14.3% | 11,673 | 27,000 miles |
| 14 | Jeep Compass (from 2017)Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 19.9% | 14.3% | 7,244 | 35,400 miles |
| 15 | Peugeot 5008Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 19.9% | 14.3% | 16,414 | 42,400 miles |
| 16 | Vauxhall InsigniaCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 19.8% | 14.3% | 38,372 | 52,500 miles |
| 17 | Ford S-MaxCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 19.5% | 14.3% | 11,269 | 42,800 miles |
| 18 | Vauxhall AdamCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 19.5% | 14.3% | 17,893 | 27,700 miles |
| 19 | Vauxhall ZafiraCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 19.5% | 14.3% | 17,206 | 36,300 miles |
| 20 | MG ZS (from 2017)Common problems · ULEZ | 19.4% | 14.3% | 26,673 | 33,200 miles |
What stands out
- Fiat Tipo has the highest MOT fail rate in this list: 24.3% (n=11,055), against 14.3% for all cars that age.
- 118 of the 205 ranked cars fail less often than all cars at the same age.
- In the 20 shown, the fail rate runs from 19.4% to 24.3%.
- 6 other rows are within 2 points of the first, so read close positions as level rather than as a strict order.
Read this with care. A fail rate is not a measure of build quality. How far cars are driven, how they are used and how well owners maintain them all change it, and wear items such as tyres and brake pads are common fails. Compare a model only with cars of the same age. Methodology and limits.
More rankings
All used car rankings · MOT fail rates by make and model · Common problems by model · Recalls by model · ULEZ by model
Looking at one car?
A ranking describes model generations, not the car in front of you. The VetTheCar Buying Report reads one car's MOT history, mileage and recalls and sets them against cars like it.
Source
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal MOT tests, 2022 to 2025. MOT data updated 22 September 2026.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources