Common problems

Citroen C1 common problems

What MOT testers find on the Citroen C1: the parts that fail or get advisories most often at each age, against all cars of the same age. From 671,515 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

At 9 years, the most tested age

Lights and electrics fails per 100 MOTs (n=64,356)8.5

All cars at 9 years (n=9,949,012)9.2

Tyres advisories and minor defects per 100 MOTs (n=64,356)28.0

All cars, same age (n=9,949,012)25.8

What stands out

Brakes fails show up on 6.8 of every 100 MOTs of a Citroen C1 at 9 years old (n=64,356), against 5.6 for all cars of that age (n=9,949,012).
Suspension fails are less common: 2.8 per 100 MOTs against 7.9 for all cars at the same age.
The fail item testers record most often at 9 years: tyre tread below 1.6 mm, on 2.5 per 100 MOTs (all cars 2.5).
The most common advisory or minor defect: tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge, on 14.8 per 100 MOTs.

Problems by part at 9 years

How many of every 100 MOTs found a fail, or an advisory or minor defect, in each area. A test with faults in two areas counts in both.

Citroen C1 at 9 years (n=64,356) against all cars at 9 years (n=9,949,012). Per 100 MOTs.
Area	Fails	All cars	Advisories	All cars
Lights and electrics	8.5	9.2	4.0	4.5
Brakes	6.8	5.6	23.4	20.3
Tyres	6.3	6.7	28.0	25.8
Windscreen, wipers and mirrors	4.0	4.0	2.9	3.7
Exhaust, emissions and leaks	3.2	2.4	2.1	3.1
Suspension	2.8	7.9	16.3	14.9
Body and structure	1.9	2.3	3.9	2.9
Seat belts and airbags	0.3	0.6	0.1	0.4
Steering	0.2	1.8	0.2	2.1
Road wheels	0.2	0.4	2.8	0.7
Number plates and VIN	0.1	0.3	1.0	1.7

What testers fail most on the C1 at 9 years

Fail items on the Citroen C1 at 9 years (n=64,356), per 100 MOTs, with all cars at the same age (n=9,949,012).
Item	Area	Per 100 MOTs	All cars	Typical repair (estimate)
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm	Tyres	2.5	2.5	£88 to £145 per tyre
Wipers not clearing screen	Windscreen, wipers and mirrors	2.3	1.7	£15 to £30 per blade
Side/position light not working	Lights and electrics	1.6	1.7	£10 to £47 per lamp
Dipped headlight not working	Lights and electrics	1.6	1.5	£18 to £86 per lamp
Brake pads under 1.5 mm	Brakes	1.6	2.0	£72 to £174 per axle (rough guide)
Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction	Exhaust, emissions and leaks	1.5	0.8	diagnosis from £39 (rough guide)
Service brake performance: excessively binding	Brakes	1.3	0.5	£55 to £267 per wheel (rough guide)
Tyre with cords exposed	Tyres	1.2	1.3	£88 to £145 per tyre
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid	Windscreen, wipers and mirrors	1.2	1.3	£2 to £14 per car (rough guide)
Headlamp aim: too low	Lights and electrics	1.2	1.1	£16 to £39 per car (rough guide)

Early warnings: advisories and minor defects at 9 years

Advisories and minor defects are recorded, but the car still passes. Across all cars, a part with an advisory or minor defect failed at the next MOT 5.5 times in 100 (n=88,666,940 pairs of consecutive MOTs), against 0.3 times in 100 when the same part had none (n=12,936,860,350).

Advisories and minor defects on the Citroen C1 at 9 years (n=64,356), per 100 MOTs, with all cars at the same age (n=9,949,012).
Item	Area	Per 100 MOTs	All cars	If it needs replacing (estimate)
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge	Tyres	14.8	16.4	£88 to £145 per tyre
Tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing	Tyres	14.4	8.5	£88 to £145 per tyre
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened	Brakes	11.4	9.2	£148 to £376 per axle (rough guide)
Linkage pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement	Suspension	7.4	0.3
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material	Brakes	6.2	2.1	£137 to £392 per car (rough guide)
Brake pads: wearing thin	Brakes	5.1	8.3	£72 to £174 per axle (rough guide)
Suspension arm pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement	Suspension	3.7	4.9	£92 to £237 per arm (rough guide)
Road wheel condition: slightly distorted	Road wheels	2.8	0.7
Brake discs: worn, but not excessively	Brakes	2.4	2.7	£148 to £376 per axle (rough guide)
Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened	Suspension	2.3	0.8

Repair estimates are a guide for an independent garage: labour at the national median local garage rate (median £78 an hour from 65 garages, ONS price quotes) times estimated labour hours, plus a parts band. Labour hours and most parts bands are estimates, not quotes, and prices vary by model, engine and region. A warning light fault shows the cost of the diagnosis only.

How problems change with age

Fails per 100 MOTs in the three most common areas at 9 years. Ages with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
Age	Tests (n)	Lights and electrics	Brakes	Tyres
3 years	13,971	1.7	1.7	3.2
4 years	20,852	2.0	2.6	3.8
5 years	25,490	2.7	3.3	4.8
6 years	40,127	4.1	3.9	5.1
7 years	52,834	4.9	4.9	6.3
8 years	59,240	6.2	6.0	6.5
9 years	64,356	8.5	6.8	6.3
10 years	59,878	10.8	7.9	6.4
11 years	56,006	14.6	8.8	6.5
12 years	55,568	17.0	10.2	6.6
13 years	53,753	18.3	12.9	6.9
14 years	50,668	19.9	15.4	7.1
15 years	44,594	20.8	16.7	7.3
16 years	35,417	23.0	17.1	7.8
17 years	22,431	24.7	16.7	7.8
18 years	11,718	26.9	15.8	7.8
19 years	4,612	28.6	14.9	7.6

Mileage

At 9 years, Citroen C1 cars showing under 30,000 miles failed 13.6% of MOTs (n=10,390); the band that failed most, 90,000 to 120,000 miles, failed 38.8% (n=2,882). For pass and fail rates by age, see Citroen C1 MOT fail rates.

What to check on a viewing

On the Citroen C1, testers most often record tyre tread below 1.6 mm; wipers not clearing screen; side/position light not working. Look at these first, then the areas below.

Lights and electrics

With someone outside, try every light: dipped and main beam, indicators, brake lights, fog lights and number plate lamps.
Check that the warning lights come on with the ignition and go out once the engine runs.
Look for misted, cracked or yellowed headlamp lenses.

Brakes

On the test drive the car should stop in a straight line without pulling, juddering or grinding.
Look at the discs through the wheels for a deep lip, heavy rust or scoring.
Check that the handbrake or electronic parking brake holds the car on a slope.
Ask when the pads, discs and brake fluid were last changed, and for the receipts.

Tyres

Check the tread across the full width of all four tyres, and the spare if there is one.
Look for cuts, bulges and cracking in the sidewalls.
Wear on one edge only can point to worn suspension or the tracking being out.

Ask for the car's MOT history and service record: advisories that repeat from one year to the next show what has been left. GOV.UK MOT history.

Questions

What are the most common problems on the Citroen C1?

At 9 years, the age with the most MOT tests (64,356), the fail items testers record most often on the Citroen C1 are tyre tread below 1.6 mm (2.5 per 100 MOTs), wipers not clearing screen (2.3 per 100 MOTs), side/position light not working (1.6 per 100 MOTs). The most common advisories or minor defects are tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (14.8) and tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing (14.4).

Which parts of the Citroen C1 fail more often than on other cars?

At 9 years: brakes (6.8 per 100 MOTs against 5.6 for all cars). Compared with 9,949,012 MOTs of all cars the same age.

Citroen C1 problems by area

Other Citroen models

All Citroen models · Common problems by make

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.

The all cars figures cover all class 4 vehicles (cars and light vans) tested at the same age.

Looking at a Citroen C1?

These figures describe the model, not the car in front of you. Found one you might buy? See what the VetTheCar Buying Report covers, or use the tools that work without a registration.

See a sample report Car tools · MOT fail rates by model · Compare models by MOT record

Repair estimates: ONS consumer price quotes for local garage labour (09/2025 to 08/2026), the MOT inspection manual for defect wording, and estimated labour hours and parts bands. Not affiliated with or endorsed by ONS.

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