Buying Report · £14.99
Tools

MOT data by first-use year

2008 Nissan Elgrand: MOT fail rate and common problems

DVSA MOT tests 2022–2025 · 5,606 MOT tests · Updated

28.4% of 2008 Nissan Elgrand cars failed their MOT at 17 years; measured against vehicles the same age and test year, about the same as the 2007 cars (4,538 MOT tests) [1].

Buying Report £14.99 incl. VAT · one car · no subscription · Not a mechanical inspection.

  • −16.1 to −14.0 points: the gap to all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year, from 14 to 17 years, 5,606 MOT tests
  • Brake pads under 1.5 mm: fails 1.4–1.9× as often as all class 4 vehicles the same age at 17 years, 5,273 MOT tests of Nissan Elgrand cars first used 2005–2008
  • 90,000 to 120,000 miles: 36.7% of Nissan Elgrand cars first used 2005–2008 failed at 17 years, against 18.3% at 30,000 to 60,000 miles, 2,289 MOT tests

Engine, fuel and mileage decide where one vehicle sits within these figures. Check the reg first.

Figures are for 2008 Nissan Elgrand cars as a group, not for one car.

Fail rate at 17 years (2025)
28.4%
vs 42.4% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 17 years in 2025
1,670 MOT tests
Gap to all class 4, same age and year
−14.6 pts
over ages 14–17: −16.0 to −13.9 pts
5,606 MOT tests
Against the 2007 cars
+0.4 pts
95% range −2.9 to +3.7 pts, same ages, each against its own test year
4,538 MOT tests
MOT tests of 2008 cars
5,606
tested 2022–2025, 4 ages with 1,000+ tests
5,606 MOT tests

About the same as the 2007 cars: +0.4 points at the same ages (15–17), each year against all class 4 vehicles the same age tested in its own year; 95% range −2.9 to +3.7, from 4,538 MOT tests of 2008 cars and 3,990 of the 2007 cars. Not adjusted for mileage.

Every Nissan Elgrand year against all class 4 vehicles the same age

Nissan Elgrand first-use years against all class 4 vehicles the same ageEach first-use year of the Nissan Elgrand as percentage points above or below all class 4 vehicles the same age, averaged over the ages it was tested at, with 95% intervals. 2008: −14.6 pts. 2005: −11.2 pts (−12.5 to −9.9) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 17–20, 5,028 MOT tests20052006: −10.8 pts (−12.7 to −8.9) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 18–19, 2,407 MOT tests20062007: −13.8 pts (−15.0 to −12.6) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 15–18, 5,610 MOT tests20072008: −14.6 pts (−15.8 to −13.4) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 14–17, 5,606 MOT tests2008−14.6 −15.80+15.8 pts
Percentage points above (right) or below (left) all class 4 vehicles the same age, tested in the same year, 2022 to 2025, each year averaged over the ages it was tested at. Lines show the 95% range.

2008 Nissan Elgrand fail rate at each MOT

From 2022 to 2025, as these cars went from 14 to 17 years old, the fail rate went from 25.7% to 28.4%, and the gap to all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year from −16.1 to −14.0 points. The widest gap was at 14 years (−16.1 points, 1,068 MOT tests).

Test yearAgeFail rate95% rangeMOT testsAll class 4, same age and yearGap
202214 years25.7%23.2%–28.5%1,06841.8%−16.1 pts
202315 years27.3%25.0%–29.8%1,33142.2%−14.9 pts
202416 years28.8%26.5%–31.1%1,53742.7%−13.9 pts
202517 years28.4%26.3%–30.7%1,67042.4%−14.0 pts

All class 4: every class 4 vehicle (cars and light vans) tested at that age in the same test year.

2008 against the 2007 cars, age by age

Age2008Years either side
15 years27.3% 1,331 MOT tests, tested 20232007: 25.8% (1,118, tested 2022)
16 years28.8% 1,537 MOT tests, tested 20242007: 28.2% (1,310, tested 2023)
17 years28.4% 1,670 MOT tests, tested 20252007: 29.3% (1,562, tested 2024)

Each year was tested in a different calendar year; the verdict compares each against all class 4 vehicles the same age tested in its own year.

What fails on a Nissan Elgrand at 17 years

All Nissan Elgrand MOTs at 17 years, cars first used 2005–2008 (5,273 MOT tests; DVSA item counts are not split by first-use year). The most common fail items: side/position light not working (3.4 per 100 MOT tests, a wear item), brake pads under 1.5 mm (3.2 per 100 MOT tests, a wear item) and linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (2.7 per 100 MOT tests).

Side/position light not working: fails less often than all class 4 vehicles the same age (0.5–0.7×), across at least 3 ages.

Mileage and the fail rate at 17 years

Nissan Elgrand cars first used 2005–2008 at 90,000 to 120,000 miles failed 36.7% of MOTs at 17 years (1,055 MOT tests), against 18.3% at 30,000 to 60,000 miles (1,234 MOT tests). All class 4 vehicles: 46.2% and 32.5%.

Car tax and ULEZ for a 2008 car

A car first registered in the UK in 2008 was issued a 57 (January–February), 08 (March–August) or 58 (September–December) plate, unless it was registered in Northern Ireland (no age identifier) or has since moved to a private plate. An imported one is plated when first registered here, so its plate can be newer than its first-use year. 08 plates

A 2008 car is taxed by its CO2 emissions band (A to M), shown on the V5C logbook. [2] Car tax calculator for a 2008 petrol car

For the London ULEZ, a 2008 petrol usually meets Euro 4. The Euro standard of the car decides, not the year alone. [3] ULEZ checker

Buying a Nissan Elgrand? Check that exact car before the viewing.

Buying Report £14.99 incl. VAT · one car · no subscription · Not a mechanical inspection.

  • Model risks for this year and fuel
  • What similar cars did at their next MOT
  • Repairs ahead
  • Viewing checklist

See a sample report

Other Nissan Elgrand years

  • 2005
  • 2006
  • 2007
  • 2008

Every Nissan Elgrand first-use year

Other Nissan models first used in 2008

Questions people ask

What is the MOT fail rate of a 2008 Nissan Elgrand?

28.4% at 17 years (tested 2025), from 1,670 MOT tests, against 42.4% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 17 years in 2025.

Does the 2008 Nissan Elgrand fail more MOTs than the 2007?

0.4 percentage points apart at the same ages (15–17), each against all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year, from 4,538 MOT tests (95% range −2.9 to +3.7), so about the same.

At what ages were 2008 Nissan Elgrand cars MOT tested in the data?

4 ages with at least 1,000 MOT tests: 14–17 years, tested 2022–2025, 5,606 MOT tests in all.

What fails most on a Nissan Elgrand at 17 years?

3.4 in 100 MOT tests failed on side/position light not working, the most common fail item (a wear item); the most common non-wear item was linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (2.7 in 100). From 5,273 MOT tests of Nissan Elgrand cars first used 2005–2008, not only 2008.

Sources

  1. Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2022 to 2025. DVSA MOT data, Open Government Licence v3.0, 5,606 MOT tests. Accessed 7 Oct 2026.
  2. GOV.UK, Vehicle tax rates. Rules, not drawn from the MOT data.
  3. Transport for London, Ultra Low Emission Zone. Rules, not drawn from the MOT data.

Cars tested at 17 years are compared with every class 4 vehicle tested at 17 years in the same test year. These rates are not adjusted for mileage. Breakdowns and non-MOT faults are not in this data. How we compare