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Chevrolet Spark exhaust, emissions and leaks problems

DVSA MOT tests 2022–2025 · 14,596 MOT tests · Updated

At 12 years, 2.6 in 100 MOT tests of the Chevrolet Spark failed on exhaust, emissions and leaks, against 3.7 for all class 4 vehicles the same age (all test years; 14,596 MOT tests) [1].

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  • Against all class 4 vehicles the same age: fails less often than all class 4 vehicles the same age (0.6–0.8×) (all test years), 380 MOT tests with a fail
  • By age: seen at 7 ages from 9 to 15 years, 59,796 MOT tests
  • MOT tests at 12 years: 14,596 for the Chevrolet Spark

Figures are for the model as a whole, not for one car.

What the MOT tests show

What we know

2.6 fails per 100 MOT tests at 12 years, against 3.7 for all class 4 vehicles tested at 12 (all test years). The Chevrolet Spark fails less often here.

Why it matters

An exhaust, emissions and leaks fail stops the car passing until it is fixed.

What to check

Start the car from cold and look for smoke at the exhaust, listen for blowing joints, and look under the engine and gearbox for fresh oil or fluid drips.

Chevrolet Spark exhaust, emissions and leaks fails by age

Chevrolet Spark exhaust, emissions and leaks fails per 100 MOT tests by ageSolid line: the Chevrolet Spark. Dashed line: all cars the same age. The table below lists every value.02469 years: 2.3 per 100 (all cars 2.4), 4,909 MOT tests910 years: 2.4 per 100 (all cars 2.8), 8,693 MOT tests1011 years: 3.0 per 100 (all cars 3.2), 12,400 MOT tests1112 years: 2.6 per 100 (all cars 3.7), 14,596 MOT tests1213 years: 3.1 per 100 (all cars 4.3), 10,185 MOT tests1314 years: 3.1 per 100 (all cars 5.1), 6,289 MOT tests1415 years: 2.8 per 100 (all cars 5.7), 2,724 MOT tests15
Fails per 100 MOT tests by age, all first-use years pooled. Chevrolet Spark All class 4 vehicles the same age
AgeMOT testsFails per 100All class 4 vehicles the same age
94,9092.32.4
108,6932.42.8
1112,4003.03.2
1214,5962.63.7
1310,1853.14.3
146,2893.15.1
152,7242.85.7

All first-use years of the Chevrolet Spark pooled at each age, against all class 4 vehicles at that age over all 2022–2025 test years.

What fails in the exhaust, emissions and leaks at 12 years

Advisories (not fails)

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  • Model risks for this year and fuel
  • What similar cars did at their next MOT
  • Repairs ahead
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See a sample report

How to check on a test drive

Start the car from cold and look for smoke at the exhaust, listen for blowing joints, and look under the engine and gearbox for fresh oil or fluid drips.

The most common advisory here in MOT records: Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive.

Check one Chevrolet Spark, not the average

The figures here describe Chevrolet Spark cars as a group. These free tools answer for one car. Each line says what the tool reads.

Other Chevrolet Spark problems

Exhaust, emissions and leaks on rival models

Questions people ask

Does the Chevrolet Spark have more exhaust, emissions and leaks problems than other cars?

0.6 to 0.8 times the exhaust, emissions and leaks fail rate of all class 4 vehicles the same age at 12 years (all test years), from 14,596 MOT tests. The interval is clear of 0.8 in the same direction at 3 of the 7 ages seen (ages up to 18 with at least 100 MOT tests with a fail).

How common are Chevrolet Spark exhaust, emissions and leaks problems?

2.6 in 100 MOT tests at 12 years failed on exhaust, emissions and leaks, against 3.7 for all class 4 vehicles the same age (all test years; 14,596 MOT tests).

Sources

  1. Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2022 to 2025. DVSA MOT data, Open Government Licence v3.0, 59,796 MOT tests. Accessed 7 Oct 2026.

Parts: against all class 4 vehicles at the same age, all 2022–2025 test years pooled, not adjusted for mileage. Breakdowns and non-MOT faults are not in this data. How we compare