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MOT fail rates by first-use year

2004 Jaguar X-Type MOT fail rate and common faults

How Jaguar X-Type cars first used in 2004 did at their MOTs from 2022 to 2025, against all cars of the same age. From 12,368 DVSA MOT tests of these cars. First use is usually the date the car was first registered.

MOT data updated

At 21 years, tested in 2025

MOT fail rate at age 21 (n=2,000)44.4%
All cars at 21 years (n=1,321,417)42.1%
Difference+2.3 pts
MOT tests of 2004 cars, 2022 to 202512,368

What stands out

  • In 2025, at 21 years old, Jaguar X-Type cars first used in 2004 failed 44.4% of MOTs (2,000 tests), 2.3 points above the 42.1% for all cars that age.
  • From 2022 to 2025, as these cars went from 18 to 21 years old, the fail rate moved from 46.1% to 44.4%.
  • Jaguar X-Type cars first used a year earlier, in 2003, failed 41.2% at the same age of 21 years (2,121 tests, in 2024).
  • The most common fail item that is not a wear item, for the Jaguar X-Type at 21 years, is engine warning lamp at the petrol emissions check: not working or showing a fault, at 6.7 per 100 MOTs (all cars: 2.4).

MOT fail rate by test year

Jaguar X-Type cars first used in 2004: 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 yearAgeMOT fail rateTests (n)All carsDifference
202218 years46.1%4,37743.3%+2.8 pts
202319 years45.4%3,39143.2%+2.2 pts
202420 years44.2%2,60042.8%+1.4 pts
202521 years44.4%2,00042.1%+2.3 pts

Most common faults at 21 years

These figures cover all Jaguar X-Type MOTs at 21 years: cars first used 2001 to 2004, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=6,734). 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 itemPer 100 MOTsAll cars
Engine warning lamp at the petrol emissions check: not working or showing a fault6.72.4
Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength6.53.2
Handbrake too weak4.72.7
Seat belt prescribed areas: prescribed area strength or continuity significantly reduced4.11.1
Headlamp aim: too low Wear4.01.9
Parking brake performance: inoperative on one side3.41.1
Dipped headlight not working Wear3.11.8
Wipers not clearing screen Wear3.03.5
Suspension arm bush worn2.71.9
Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded2.62.5

Per 100 of the MOTs above (n=6,734). A test with two items counts once for each.

Advisories

AdvisoryPer 100 MOTsAll cars
Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive25.314.8
Coil spring: corroded16.38.1
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material16.215.9
Tyre tread close to the legal limit or worn on the edge Wear15.014.8
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened14.810.4
Tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing Wear9.310.4
Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened9.24.5
Suspension arm: corroded but not seriously weakened7.73.0
Brake pads wearing thin Wear6.55.4
Suspension pin or bush worn, without excessive movement4.87.2

Per 100 of the MOTs above (n=6,734). A test with two items counts once for each.

Fuel type at 21 years

These figures cover all Jaguar X-Type MOTs at 21 years: cars first used 2001 to 2004, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=6,734). Each fuel is set against all cars of the same fuel and age. Fuels with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.

FuelShare of testsMOT fail rateTests (n)All cars, same fuelMedian mileage
Petrol86.7%41.7%5,83541.7%83,326 miles

Fail rate by mileage at 21 years

These figures cover all Jaguar X-Type MOTs at 21 years: cars first used 2001 to 2004, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=6,734). At 21 years, Jaguar X-Type cars at 90,000 to 120,000 miles failed more often (48.3%, n=1,832) than those at 30,000 to 60,000 miles (33.1%, n=1,172). Bands with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.

Mileage at testMOT fail rateTests (n)All cars
30,000 to 60,000 miles33.1%1,17233.5%
60,000 to 90,000 miles41.1%2,13740.6%
90,000 to 120,000 miles48.3%1,83244.7%

Car tax rules for a 2004 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

  • Many petrol cars first registered from 2001 to 2005 already meet Euro 4, but not all of them. For a 2004 petrol car the Euro standard of that car decides.
  • Diesel cars first registered before September 2015 usually do not meet Euro 6, so a 2004 diesel usually pays the ULEZ daily charge. A few models met Euro 6 early.
  • 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 Jaguar X-Type

Other Jaguar models first used in 2004

ModelAge at testMOT fail rateTests (n)All cars
Jaguar S-Type (2004)21 years in 202535.0%1,44542.1%
Jaguar XJ (2004)21 years in 202530.3%1,62842.1%
Jaguar XK (2004)19 years in 202325.2%1,01043.2%

More on the Jaguar X-Type

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 2004 Jaguar X-Type 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.