MOT fail rates by first-use year

2011 Citroen C1 MOT fail rate and common faults

How Citroen C1 cars first used in 2011 did at their MOTs from 2022 to 2025, against all cars of the same age. From 55,530 DVSA MOT tests of these cars. First use is usually the date the car was first registered.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

At 14 years, tested in 2025

MOT fail rate at age 14 (n=13,282)39.2%

All cars at 14 years (n=6,054,526)40.3%

Difference−1.1 pts

MOT tests of 2011 cars, 2022 to 202555,530

What stands out

In 2025, at 14 years old, Citroen C1 cars first used in 2011 failed 39.2% of MOTs (13,282 tests), 1.1 points below the 40.3% for all cars that age.
From 2022 to 2025, as these cars went from 11 to 14 years old, the fail rate moved from 32.4% to 39.2%.
Citroen C1 cars first used a year earlier, in 2010, failed 39.1% at the same age of 14 years (13,119 tests, in 2024).
The most common fail item that is not a wear item, for the Citroen C1 at 14 years, is service brake performance: excessively binding, at 5.6 per 100 MOTs (all cars: 1.3).

MOT fail rate by test year

Citroen C1 cars first used in 2011: share of MOT tests that failed, by test year, against all cars of the same age. Years with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
Test year	Age	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars	Difference
2022	11 years	32.4%	14,315	33.3%	−0.9 pts
2023	12 years	35.2%	14,126	36.0%	−0.8 pts
2024	13 years	38.1%	13,807	38.3%	−0.1 pts
2025	14 years	39.2%	13,282	40.3%	−1.1 pts

Most common faults at 14 years

These figures cover all Citroen C1 MOTs at 14 years: cars first used 2008 to 2011, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=50,668). The list uses every first-use year so it has enough tests. Wear items (tyres, brake pads, wipers, bulbs) say more about upkeep than about the design.

MOT fail items

Fail item	Per 100 MOTs	All cars
Side/position light not working Wear	6.2	5.4
Service brake performance: excessively binding	5.6	1.3
Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded	3.8	1.1
Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Wear	3.3	2.1
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm Wear	3.3	3.1
Brake light not working Wear	3.0	3.5
Exhaust system: has a major leak of exhaust gases	2.9	1.4
Wipers not clearing screen Wear	2.8	2.3
Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits	2.8	0.9
Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength	2.5	0.8

Per 100 of the MOTs above (n=50,668). A test with two items counts once for each.

Advisories

Advisory	Per 100 MOTs	All cars
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material	21.2	6.0
Tyre tread close to the legal limit or worn on the edge Wear	16.4	18.4
Tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing Wear	13.7	9.3
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened	10.9	11.0
Suspension pin or bush worn, without excessive movement	9.1	8.4
Linkage pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement	8.7	0.5
Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Wear	7.8	5.6
Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened	6.7	4.5
Service brake performance: binding but not excessively	5.6	2.2
Exhaust system: has a minor leak of exhaust gases	5.1	3.7

Per 100 of the MOTs above (n=50,668). A test with two items counts once for each.

Fuel type at 14 years

These figures cover all Citroen C1 MOTs at 14 years: cars first used 2008 to 2011, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=50,668). Each fuel is set against all cars of the same fuel and age. Fuels with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.

Fuel	Share of tests	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars, same fuel	Median mileage
Petrol	98.6%	40.7%	49,932	40.0%	77,300 miles

Fail rate by mileage at 14 years

These figures cover all Citroen C1 MOTs at 14 years: cars first used 2008 to 2011, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=50,668). At 14 years, Citroen C1 cars at 120,000 to 150,000 miles failed more often (50.7%, n=3,600) than those at under 30,000 miles (23.7%, n=2,005). Bands with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.

Mileage at test	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars
Under 30,000 miles	23.7%	2,005	19.6%
30,000 to 60,000 miles	32.3%	11,413	30.5%
60,000 to 90,000 miles	41.5%	20,013	39.5%
90,000 to 120,000 miles	47.5%	12,473	44.0%
120,000 to 150,000 miles	50.7%	3,600	44.8%

Car tax rules for a 2011 car

Cars first registered from 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017 are taxed by CO2 emissions band, from band A (the lowest emissions) to band M. The band is set by the CO2 figure on the V5C logbook.

These are the rules, not the amount for a specific car. Car tax check

ULEZ and clean air zones

Petrol cars first registered from 2006 usually meet Euro 4, the petrol standard for the London ULEZ, so they usually do not pay the daily charge.
The clean air zones in Birmingham and Bristol use the same Euro 4 petrol and Euro 6 diesel standards. The low emission zones in Scotland use them too, but enforce them with fines, not a daily charge.

The Euro standard of the car decides, not the year alone. ULEZ checker

Other years of the Citroen C1

2010 Citroen C1 2012 Citroen C1

Other Citroen models first used in 2011

Model	Age at test	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars
Citroen C3 (2011)	14 years in 2025	46.2%	14,419	40.3%
Citroen C4 (2011)	14 years in 2025	46.7%	6,072	40.3%
Citroen Dispatch (2011)	14 years in 2025	49.1%	1,744	40.3%
Citroen Nemo (2011)	14 years in 2025	42.3%	1,036	40.3%
Citroen C4 Grand Picasso (2011)	13 years in 2024	45.8%	1,094	38.3%

More on the Citroen C1

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.

Found one you might buy? Vet the specific car.

These figures describe 2011 Citroen C1 cars as a group, not any one car. The VetTheCar Buying Report looks at the car you are buying: its MOT history, what similar cars did next, and what to ask the seller.

See an example Buying Report All car tools

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 28 September 2026.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources

Car tax and clean air zone rules are summarised from GOV.UK and Transport for London guidance. They are general rules and are not drawn from the MOT data.