Common problems

Citroen Saxo common problems

What MOT testers find on the Citroen Saxo: the parts that fail or get advisories most often at each age, against all cars of the same age. From 14,904 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

At 21 years, the most tested age

Lights and electrics fails per 100 MOTs (n=3,552)23.1

All cars at 21 years (n=1,321,417)20.6

Brakes advisories and minor defects per 100 MOTs (n=3,552)25.8

All cars, same age (n=1,321,417)33.7

What stands out

Body and structure fails show up on 15.4 of every 100 MOTs of a Citroen Saxo at 21 years old (n=3,552), against 9.3 for all cars of that age (n=1,321,417).
Suspension fails are less common: 11.3 per 100 MOTs against 15.9 for all cars at the same age.
The fail item testers record most often at 21 years: driveshaft CV boot split, on 6.1 per 100 MOTs (all cars 3.0).
The most common advisory or minor defect: engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive, on 15.6 per 100 MOTs.

Problems by part at 21 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 Saxo at 21 years (n=3,552) against all cars at 21 years (n=1,321,417). Per 100 MOTs.
Area	Fails	All cars	Advisories	All cars
Lights and electrics	23.1	20.6	12.4	16.7
Brakes	16.4	13.3	25.8	33.7
Body and structure	15.4	9.3	18.5	16.0
Suspension	11.3	15.9	21.0	35.0
Exhaust, emissions and leaks	11.1	7.1	17.4	16.4
Windscreen, wipers and mirrors	9.4	7.5	5.4	6.5
Steering	6.0	4.2	3.9	6.6
Tyres	5.3	6.0	24.7	25.2
Seat belts and airbags	2.4	3.1	1.2	1.6
Number plates and VIN	0.8	0.7	7.5	6.6
Road wheels	0.3	0.4	0.5	1.0

What testers fail most on the Saxo at 21 years

Fail items on the Citroen Saxo at 21 years (n=3,552), per 100 MOTs, with all cars at the same age (n=1,321,417).
Item	Area	Per 100 MOTs	All cars	Typical repair (estimate)
Driveshaft CV boot split	Body and structure	6.1	3.0	£88 to £196 per boot (rough guide)
Side/position light not working	Lights and electrics	5.9	4.9	£10 to £47 per lamp
Service brake imbalance: across an axle	Brakes	5.9	1.2
Brake light not working	Lights and electrics	5.7	3.9	£10 to £47 per lamp
Steering rack: gaiter missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt	Steering	5.0	0.9	£63 to £147 per side (rough guide)
Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength	Suspension	4.8	3.2
Exhaust system: has a major leak of exhaust gases	Body and structure	4.8	2.2	£182 to £263 per section
Service brake performance: efficiency below requirements	Brakes	4.7	0.7
Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits	Exhaust, emissions and leaks	4.7	1.7
Wipers not clearing screen	Windscreen, wipers and mirrors	4.3	3.5	£15 to £30 per blade

Early warnings: advisories and minor defects at 21 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 Saxo at 21 years (n=3,552), per 100 MOTs, with all cars at the same age (n=1,321,417).
Item	Area	Per 100 MOTs	All cars	If it needs replacing (estimate)
Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive	Exhaust, emissions and leaks	15.6	14.8
Tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing	Tyres	14.8	10.4	£88 to £145 per tyre
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge	Tyres	11.1	14.8	£88 to £145 per tyre
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened	Brakes	9.9	10.4	£148 to £376 per axle (rough guide)
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material	Brakes	9.7	15.9	£137 to £392 per car (rough guide)
Exhaust system: has a minor leak of exhaust gases	Body and structure	7.7	5.5	£182 to £263 per section
Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread	Number plates and VIN	7.4	6.5	£23 to £63 per plate (rough guide)
Drive shaft joints: constant velocity boot severely deteriorated	Body and structure	5.2	3.8
Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources	Lights and electrics	5.0	5.3
Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive	Suspension	4.9	3.6

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 21 years. Ages with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
Age	Tests (n)	Lights and electrics	Brakes	Body and structure
19 years	1,239	21.6	16.3	17.7
20 years	2,500	22.8	15.5	15.1
21 years	3,552	23.1	16.4	15.4
22 years	3,523	22.2	16.2	14.4
23 years	2,505	19.7	15.0	13.2
24 years	1,585	18.9	16.0	13.4

Mileage

At 21 years, Citroen Saxo cars showing 30,000 to 60,000 miles failed 41.7% of MOTs (n=1,036); the band that failed most, 60,000 to 90,000 miles, failed 51.0% (n=1,206). For pass and fail rates by age, see MOT fail rates by model.

What to check on a viewing

On the Citroen Saxo, testers most often record driveshaft CV boot split; side/position light not working; service brake imbalance: across an axle. 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.

Body and structure

Look underneath at the sills, floor, subframes and jacking points for corrosion, or for fresh underseal that may hide it.
Check that doors, bonnet and boot open, close and latch properly.
Look for loose trim, sharp edges or damage around the bumpers and wheel arches.

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 Saxo?

At 21 years, the age with the most MOT tests (3,552), the fail items testers record most often on the Citroen Saxo are driveshaft CV boot split (6.1 per 100 MOTs), side/position light not working (5.9 per 100 MOTs), service brake imbalance: across an axle (5.9 per 100 MOTs). The most common advisories or minor defects are engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive (15.6) and tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing (14.8).

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

At 21 years: body and structure (15.4 per 100 MOTs against 9.3 for all cars); exhaust, emissions and leaks (11.1 per 100 MOTs against 7.1 for all cars); brakes (16.4 per 100 MOTs against 13.3 for all cars). Compared with 1,321,417 MOTs of all cars the same age.

Citroen Saxo 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 Saxo?

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