Citroen Ë-C4 MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 24 model years and 920,349 tests, the Citroen Ë-C4 passes its MOT 76.1% of the time. Small family cars of a similar age fail 18.9% of the time, so this is 5.0pp worse than the group it competes with. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, suspension and brakes.
Best and worst Ë-C4 years
Ranked across Ë-C4 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 (88.9% pass rate); the weakest is 2008 (69.7%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
Lighting & signalling dominates the failure mix at 14.2% of all tests — 5.4 points clear of suspension, so it is the first thing to check.
At component level the recurring items are joints, headlamp aim and tread depth — joints alone was recorded 48,616 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 29.4% versus 10.7%.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 1.9pp more often than petrol ones (24.3% vs 22.5%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 29.3% of tests without failing them.
The trend is worsening — 22.4% of tests failed in 2021 against 25.1% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Ë-C4 model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 394 | 66.2% | 33.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2005 | 9,949 | 70.3% | 29.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2006 | 18,098 | 70.4% | 29.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2007 | 54,092 | 70.3% | 29.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 66,971 | 69.7% | 30.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 43,672 | 70.5% | 29.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 47,623 | 70.8% | 29.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 50,548 | 73.3% | 26.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 58,077 | 74.2% | 25.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 82,480 | 74.5% | 25.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 135,519 | 76.0% | 24.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 174,882 | 79.0% | 21.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2016 | 108,178 | 80.7% | 19.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 5,905 | 85.2% | 14.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2018 | 15,929 | 86.5% | 13.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2019 | 23,905 | 87.2% | 12.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2020 | 5,986 | 88.9% | 11.1% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 11,693 | 86.9% | 13.1% | Visibility |
| 2022 | 6,137 | 88.8% | 11.2% | Visibility |
| 2023 | 264 | 90.5% | 9.5% | Visibility |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 14.2% | 130,880 |
| 2 | Suspension | 8.8% | 81,118 |
| 3 | Brakes | 6.6% | 60,430 |
| 4 | Tyres | 6.3% | 57,970 |
| 5 | Body, structure & corrosion | 6.1% | 55,945 |
| 6 | Visibility | 4.7% | 42,935 |
| 7 | Steering | 2.7% | 25,005 |
| 8 | Emissions & environmental | 2.5% | 22,827 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joints | 48,616 |
| 2 | Headlamp aim | 48,253 |
| 3 | Tread depth | 38,456 |
| 4 | Stop lamp | 34,961 |
| 5 | Position lamp | 33,988 |
| 6 | Registration plate lamp(s) | 31,620 |
| 7 | Headlamp | 30,750 |
| 8 | Coil spring | 28,773 |
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 | 29.3% | 269,553 |
| 2 | Brakes | 25.3% | 232,472 |
| 3 | Suspension | 17.1% | 157,067 |
| 4 | Other defects | 12.3% | 112,828 |
| 5 | Lighting & signalling | 11.7% | 108,025 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 6.7% | 61,207 |
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 | 60,165 | 10.7% |
| 30-60k | 228,143 | 18.4% |
| 60-90k | 303,482 | 24.9% |
| 90-120k | 210,314 | 28.9% |
| 120-150k | 84,873 | 30.2% |
| 150k+ | 32,624 | 29.4% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 715,202 | 24.3% |
| Petrol | 205,092 | 22.5% |
| Electric | 44 | 29.5% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 199,670 | 22.4% |
| 2022 | 193,085 | 23.1% |
| 2023 | 183,948 | 24.4% |
| 2024 | 176,149 | 25.1% |
| 2025 | 167,497 | 25.1% |
What to check before buying a Citroen Ë-C4
- Lighting & signalling (14.2% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Suspension (8.8% of tests): Worn drop links, bushes, springs or shocks — listen for knocks over bumps and check for uneven tyre wear. Typical repair: £150–£450 per corner.
- Brakes (6.6% 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.
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 Ë-C4?
76.1% of the 920,349 Citroen Ë-C4 MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 23.9% fail rate, across model years 2001–2024.
What does the Citroen Ë-C4 most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 14.2% of tests, then suspension (8.8%).
Which Ë-C4 years are best and worst for MOT results?
2020 has the best pass rate at 88.9% and 2008 the weakest at 69.7%, from 5,986 and 66,971 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Ë-C4 MOT results?
Fail rates run at 10.7% for cars in the 0-30k band and 29.4% for 150k+, a 18.7-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel Ë-C4 more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 22.5% of the time against 24.3% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 920,349 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.