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2008 Vauxhall Tigra: MOT fail rate and common problems

DVSA MOT tests 2022–2025 · 4,212 MOT tests · Updated

49.3% of 2008 Vauxhall Tigra cars failed their MOT at 16 years; measured against vehicles the same age and test year, about the same as the 2007 and 2009 cars (4,212 MOT tests) [1].

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  • +6.5 to +6.6 points: the gap to all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year, from 14 to 16 years, 4,212 MOT tests
  • Handbrake too weak: fails 3.0–3.5× as often as all class 4 vehicles the same age at 16 years, 6,459 MOT tests of Vauxhall Tigra cars first used 2006–2009
  • 90,000 to 120,000 miles: 55.9% of Vauxhall Tigra cars first used 2006–2009 failed at 16 years, against 41.1% at 30,000 to 60,000 miles, 2,955 MOT tests

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

Figures are for 2008 Vauxhall Tigra cars as a group, not for one car.

Fail rate at 16 years (2024)
49.3%
vs 42.7% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 16 years in 2024
1,190 MOT tests
Gap to all class 4, same age and year
+6.3 pts
over ages 14–16: +5.8 to +6.6 pts
4,212 MOT tests
Against the 2007 and 2009 cars
−0.2 pts
95% range −3.4 to +3.1 pts, same ages, each against its own test year
4,212 MOT tests
MOT tests of 2008 cars
4,212
tested 2022–2024, 3 ages with 1,000+ tests
4,212 MOT tests

About the same as the 2007 and 2009 cars: −0.2 points at the same ages (14–16), each year against all class 4 vehicles the same age tested in its own year; 95% range −3.4 to +3.1, from 4,212 MOT tests of 2008 cars and 8,315 of the 2007 and 2009 cars. Not adjusted for mileage.

Every Vauxhall Tigra year against all class 4 vehicles the same age

Vauxhall Tigra first-use years against all class 4 vehicles the same ageEach first-use year of the Vauxhall Tigra 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: +6.3 pts. 2005: +4.7 pts (+2.7 to +6.6) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 17–18, 2,480 MOT tests20052006: +4.8 pts (+3.6 to +5.9) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 16–19, 6,726 MOT tests20062007: +5.9 pts (+4.7 to +7.2) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 15–18, 6,204 MOT tests20072008: +6.3 pts (+4.8 to +7.8) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 14–16, 4,212 MOT tests2008+6.32009: +6.1 pts (+4.9 to +7.3) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 13–16, 6,599 MOT tests2009 −7.80+7.8 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 Vauxhall Tigra fail rate at each MOT

From 2022 to 2024, as these cars went from 14 to 16 years old, the fail rate went from 48.3% to 49.3%, and the gap to all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year from +6.5 to +6.6 points. The widest gap was at 16 years (+6.6 points, 1,190 MOT tests).

Test yearAgeFail rate95% rangeMOT testsAll class 4, same age and yearGap
202214 years48.3%45.8%–50.7%1,62241.8%+6.5 pts
202315 years48.1%45.5%–50.7%1,40042.2%+5.9 pts
202416 years49.3%46.5%–52.2%1,19042.7%+6.6 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 and 2009 cars, age by age

Age2008Years either side
14 years48.3% 1,622 MOT tests, tested 20222009: 48.6% (1,782, tested 2023)
15 years48.1% 1,400 MOT tests, tested 20232007: 47.7% (2,003, tested 2022)
2009: 45.6% (1,516, tested 2024)
16 years49.3% 1,190 MOT tests, tested 20242007: 49.2% (1,721, tested 2023)
2009: 47.6% (1,293, tested 2025)

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 Vauxhall Tigra at 16 years

All Vauxhall Tigra MOTs at 16 years, cars first used 2006–2009 (6,459 MOT tests; DVSA item counts are not split by first-use year). The most common fail items: handbrake too weak (8.1 per 100 MOT tests), coil spring broken (6.9 per 100 MOT tests) and driveshaft CV boot split (5.5 per 100 MOT tests).

Handbrake too weak: fails 3.0–3.5× as often as all class 4 vehicles the same age, across at least 3 ages.

Mileage and the fail rate at 16 years

Vauxhall Tigra cars first used 2006–2009 at 90,000 to 120,000 miles failed 55.9% of MOTs at 16 years (1,418 MOT tests), against 41.1% at 30,000 to 60,000 miles (1,537 MOT tests). All class 4 vehicles: 45.9% and 32.1%.

Road tax for a 2008 Vauxhall Tigra

The Vehicle Certification Agency lists 6 petrol versions of the Vauxhall Tigra in its data from May 2007 to May 2009, from 144 to 185 g/km CO2 [3]. A car first registered from 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017 is taxed by CO2 band, so that is bands F and I: from £225 to £360 a year at the 2026/27 rates [2].

2008 Vauxhall Tigra: CO2 bands of the listed versions, 2026/27 rates
Band12 monthsCO2 g/kmVersions listed
F£225144–1464
I£3601852

Versions listed, not cars sold: this does not say how common each band is. The CO2 figure on the car's V5C log book decides its band. Car tax calculator for a 2008 petrol car

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]

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

Buying a Vauxhall Tigra? Check that exact car before the viewing.

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  • Model risks for this year and fuel
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Other Vauxhall Tigra years

  • 2005
  • 2006
  • 2007
  • 2008
  • 2009

Every Vauxhall Tigra first-use year

Other Vauxhall models first used in 2008

Questions people ask

What is the MOT fail rate of a 2008 Vauxhall Tigra?

49.3% at 16 years (tested 2024), from 1,190 MOT tests, against 42.7% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 16 years in 2024.

Does the 2008 Vauxhall Tigra fail more MOTs than the 2007 and 2009?

0.2 percentage points apart at the same ages (14–16), each against all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year, from 4,212 MOT tests (95% range −3.4 to +3.1), so about the same.

At what ages were 2008 Vauxhall Tigra cars MOT tested in the data?

3 ages with at least 1,000 MOT tests: 14–16 years, tested 2022–2024, 4,212 MOT tests in all.

What fails most on a Vauxhall Tigra at 16 years?

8.1 in 100 MOT tests failed on handbrake too weak, the most common fail item. From 6,459 MOT tests of Vauxhall Tigra cars first used 2006–2009, 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, 4,212 MOT tests. Accessed 7 Oct 2026.
  2. GOV.UK, Vehicle tax rates. Rules, not drawn from the MOT data.
  3. Vehicle Certification Agency, Car fuel and emissions data. VCA data, Open Government Licence v3.0.
  4. Transport for London, Ultra Low Emission Zone. Rules, not drawn from the MOT data.

Cars tested at 16 years are compared with every class 4 vehicle tested at 16 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