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MOT fail rates

Nissan Leaf MOT fail rate by age

How often the Nissan Leaf fails its MOT at each age, compared with all cars of the same age, and what it fails on. From 163,386 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated

At 3 years, the most tested age

MOT fail rate at age 3 (n=31,292)9.0%
All cars at 3 years (n=8,016,463)12.1%
Median mileage at test20,859
All cars, median mileage22,806

82 of 343 model groups with enough tests fail less often at 3 years.

What stands out

  • At 3 years the Nissan Leaf fails 9.0% of MOTs (31,292 tests), 3.0 points below the 12.1% for all cars that age. At 12 years it fails 38.5% (2,148 tests), 2.5 points above the 36.0% average.
  • The gap is widest at 9 years: 6.9 points above all cars.
  • Its most common structural or mechanical fail item at 3 years: Tyre pressure monitoring system: malfunctioning or obviously inoperative, at 0.2 per 100 MOTs.

MOT fail rate by age

3 years 12 years 42.4%

Solid line: this model. Dashed line: all cars at the same age.

Nissan Leaf: share of MOT tests that failed, by age, against all cars. Ages with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
AgeMOT fail rateTests (n)All carsDifferenceMedian mileage
3 years9.0%31,29212.1%−3.0 pts20,859 miles
4 years11.0%27,24813.4%−2.3 pts28,382 miles
5 years14.3%23,15115.3%−1.0 pts35,297 miles
6 years17.0%19,13617.8%−0.8 pts42,222 miles
7 years21.9%18,05020.6%+1.2 pts47,545 miles
8 years27.9%16,10423.8%+4.1 pts51,924 miles
9 years34.1%12,25127.1%+6.9 pts57,307 miles
10 years36.1%8,82530.3%+5.8 pts60,155 miles
11 years38.5%5,18133.3%+5.2 pts64,829 miles
12 years38.5%2,14836.0%+2.5 pts64,688 miles

Most common fail items at 3 years

Split into structural or mechanical items and wear items. Wear items (tyres, brake pads, wipers, bulbs) say more about upkeep than about the design.

Structural and mechanical

Fail itemPer 100 MOTs
Tyre pressure monitoring system: malfunctioning or obviously inoperative Major0.2
Brake discs: significantly and obviously worn Major0.2

Out of 31,292 MOTs. A test with two faults counts twice.

Wear and upkeep

Fail itemPer 100 MOTs
Wipers not clearing screen Major2
Tyre condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Major1.9
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm Dangerous1.1
Tyre condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Dangerous0.8
Tyre with cords exposed Dangerous0.7
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Major0.6
Headlight aimed too high Major0.5
Headlamp aim: too low Major0.4

Out of 31,292 MOTs. A test with two faults counts twice.

Other models at 3 years

ModelMOT fail rateTests (n)All cars
Nissan Qashqai9.6%160,43412.1%
Nissan Juke9.7%75,70312.1%
Nissan Micra8.5%28,01312.1%

MOT fail rate by first-use year

Each year has its own page: the fail rate for cars first used that year at each MOT from 2022 to 2025 with at least 1,000 tests, the most common faults at that age, and the car tax and ULEZ rules for that year.

First-use year data updated .

Latest MOT age with at least 1,000 tests for each first-use year.
First usedAge at testMOT fail rateTests (n)All cars
201312 years in 202542.3%1,21436.0%
201411 years in 202539.5%2,97333.3%
201510 years in 202534.8%3,98230.3%
20169 years in 202533.5%3,89227.1%
20178 years in 202523.8%4,89023.8%
20187 years in 202519.3%4,93420.6%
20196 years in 202516.2%5,01117.8%
20205 years in 202514.4%7,77515.3%
20214 years in 202510.9%8,78413.4%
20223 years in 20259.0%8,77512.1%

More on the Nissan Leaf

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.

Looking at one Nissan Leaf?

These are figures for the model, not for one car. The VetTheCar Buying Report looks at a single car: its MOT tests, defects, advisories and mileage readings.

See an example report Browse the 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 22 September 2026.

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