Citroen C1 MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 19 model years and 1,005,242 tests, the Citroen C1 passes its MOT 81.3% of the time. City cars of a similar age fail at 19.6%, so the C1 sits squarely on the average. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, brakes and tyres.
Best and worst C1 years
Ranked across C1 years with at least 1,000 tests. Older cars fail more simply because they are older — compare years close together in age before drawing conclusions.
What the MOT record shows
The strongest year on this record is 2021 (93.8% pass rate); the weakest is 2005 (70.5%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (10.5%) and brakes (7.7%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are headlamp aim, service brake performance and position lamp — headlamp aim alone was recorded 44,905 times.
Condition tracks the odometer closely. Failures run at 8.7% in the 0-30k band and 32.3% in the 150k+ band, a 23.6-point spread — more than double.
The petrol cars hold up better: 18.6% fail against 27.3% for diesel, a 8.6-point gap across 1,005,187 tests.
Brakes is the most common advisory, noted on 28.3% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 17.0% of tests failed in 2021 against 20.3% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every C1 model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 5,254 | 70.5% | 29.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2006 | 34,406 | 70.8% | 29.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2007 | 52,476 | 72.1% | 27.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 71,133 | 71.9% | 28.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 79,445 | 74.2% | 25.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 83,478 | 77.3% | 22.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 86,897 | 78.6% | 21.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 84,770 | 80.8% | 19.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 84,239 | 82.5% | 17.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 79,875 | 84.6% | 15.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 104,089 | 85.8% | 14.2% | Tyres |
| 2016 | 103,921 | 86.9% | 13.1% | Tyres |
| 2017 | 51,031 | 88.9% | 11.1% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 39,210 | 91.6% | 8.4% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 22,823 | 92.5% | 7.5% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 12,255 | 92.4% | 7.6% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 9,522 | 93.8% | 6.3% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 415 | 93.7% | 6.3% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 10.5% | 105,640 |
| 2 | Brakes | 7.7% | 77,738 |
| 3 | Tyres | 5.3% | 53,673 |
| 4 | Suspension | 4.5% | 44,735 |
| 5 | Visibility | 4.0% | 40,331 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 3.3% | 32,924 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 2.9% | 29,145 |
| 8 | Seat belts & restraints | 0.7% | 6,983 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Headlamp aim | 44,905 |
| 2 | Service brake performance | 37,169 |
| 3 | Position lamp | 32,403 |
| 4 | Tread depth | 31,193 |
| 5 | Rigid brake pipes | 26,020 |
| 6 | Wipers | 24,295 |
| 7 | Catalyst emissions | 23,979 |
| 8 | Headlamp | 20,409 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brakes | 28.3% | 284,955 |
| 2 | Tyres | 27.6% | 277,357 |
| 3 | Suspension | 20.5% | 206,493 |
| 4 | Lighting & signalling | 8.4% | 84,450 |
| 5 | Body, structure & corrosion | 6.6% | 66,580 |
| 6 | Other defects | 5.8% | 57,813 |
Failure rate by mileage
Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.
| Mileage band | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 192,121 | 8.7% |
| 30-60k | 356,872 | 15.6% |
| 60-90k | 277,073 | 23.0% |
| 90-120k | 131,790 | 28.2% |
| 120-150k | 37,582 | 31.1% |
| 150k+ | 9,636 | 32.3% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 997,282 | 18.6% |
| Diesel | 7,905 | 27.3% |
| Electric | 50 | 16.0% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 197,083 | 17.0% |
| 2022 | 201,848 | 17.7% |
| 2023 | 203,920 | 18.7% |
| 2024 | 204,244 | 19.9% |
| 2025 | 198,147 | 20.3% |
What to check before buying a Citroen C1
- Lighting & signalling (10.5% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (7.7% of tests): Pads/discs are routine wear; binding, imbalance or corroded pipes are more serious — test for pulling under braking. Typical repair: £100–£350 per axle.
- Tyres (5.3% of tests): Usually a quick, known-cost fix, but check tread, age and uneven wear (which can hint at alignment or suspension issues). Typical repair: £50–£120 per tyre.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for the Citroen C1?
81.3% of the 1,005,242 Citroen C1 MOT tests in this dataset passed, an 18.7% fail rate, across model years 2005–2023.
What does the Citroen C1 most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 10.5% of tests, then brakes (7.7%).
Which C1 years are best and worst for MOT results?
2021 has the best pass rate at 93.8% and 2005 the weakest at 70.5%, from 9,522 and 5,254 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect C1 MOT results?
Fail rates run at 8.7% for cars in the 0-30k band and 32.3% for 150k+, a 23.6-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel C1 more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 18.6% of the time against 27.3% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 1,005,242 MOT tests. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-27. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.