Citroen C4 Cactus MOT pass rate & common failures
The Citroen C4 Cactus appears in 114,968 MOT tests spanning model years 2014–2021, and 84.5% of them passed. Against small SUVs of a similar age (11.2% fail rate), the C4 Cactus comes out 4.4pp worse. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, visibility and tyres.
Best and worst C4 Cactus years
Ranked across C4 Cactus 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 2020 (90.8% pass rate); the weakest is 2015 (76.8%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (7.8%) and visibility (6.6%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are wipers, headlamp aim and tread depth — wipers alone was recorded 6,126 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 9.4% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 26.5% once past 150k — 2.8× the risk.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 3.0pp more often than petrol ones (17.8% vs 14.7%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 25.0% of tests without failing them.
The trend is worsening — 11.9% of tests failed in 2021 against 18.9% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every C4 Cactus model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 297 | 75.1% | 24.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 2,306 | 76.8% | 23.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2016 | 21,468 | 80.3% | 19.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 34,723 | 83.3% | 16.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2018 | 31,049 | 86.0% | 14.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2019 | 18,073 | 87.5% | 12.5% | Visibility |
| 2020 | 6,310 | 90.8% | 9.2% | Visibility |
| 2021 | 742 | 91.9% | 8.1% | Visibility |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 7.8% | 8,960 |
| 2 | Visibility | 6.6% | 7,574 |
| 3 | Tyres | 4.7% | 5,371 |
| 4 | Body, structure & corrosion | 3.7% | 4,286 |
| 5 | Brakes | 3.2% | 3,724 |
| 6 | Suspension | 2.2% | 2,552 |
| 7 | Emissions & environmental | 1.2% | 1,411 |
| 8 | Seat belts & restraints | 0.2% | 251 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wipers | 6,126 |
| 2 | Headlamp aim | 3,941 |
| 3 | Tread depth | 3,579 |
| 4 | Headlamp | 3,344 |
| 5 | Washers | 3,022 |
| 6 | Joints | 2,850 |
| 7 | Registration plate lamp(s) | 2,002 |
| 8 | Brake pads | 1,778 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 25.0% | 28,735 |
| 2 | Brakes | 17.4% | 19,965 |
| 3 | Body, structure & corrosion | 9.0% | 10,407 |
| 4 | Other defects | 7.9% | 9,120 |
| 5 | Suspension | 7.0% | 8,106 |
| 6 | Lighting & signalling | 4.8% | 5,478 |
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 | 37,872 | 9.4% |
| 30-60k | 54,629 | 16.7% |
| 60-90k | 18,260 | 22.4% |
| 90-120k | 3,609 | 26.5% |
| 120-150k | 491 | 26.1% |
| 150k+ | 98 | 26.5% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 83,129 | 14.7% |
| Diesel | 31,839 | 17.8% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 17,353 | 11.9% |
| 2022 | 22,102 | 13.1% |
| 2023 | 24,667 | 15.2% |
| 2024 | 25,256 | 17.2% |
| 2025 | 25,590 | 18.9% |
What to check before buying a Citroen C4 Cactus
- Lighting & signalling (7.8% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Visibility (6.6% of tests): Wipers, washers, mirrors and screen damage — usually inexpensive, but check for chips in the driver's line of sight. Typical repair: £15–£150.
- Tyres (4.7% 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 C4 Cactus?
84.5% of the 114,968 Citroen C4 Cactus MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 15.6% fail rate, across model years 2014–2021.
What does the Citroen C4 Cactus most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 7.8% of tests, then visibility (6.6%).
Which C4 Cactus years are best and worst for MOT results?
2020 has the best pass rate at 90.8% and 2015 the weakest at 76.8%, from 6,310 and 2,306 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect C4 Cactus MOT results?
Fail rates run at 9.4% for cars in the 0-30k band and 26.5% for 150k+, a 17.1-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel C4 Cactus more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 14.7% of the time against 17.8% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 114,968 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.