DS Ds7 MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 23 model years and 8,169 tests, the DS Ds7 passes its MOT 87.2% of the time. That is 3.2 percentage points worse than mid-size SUVs of a similar age, which fail at 9.7%. Its most common failure areas are tyres, lighting & signalling and suspension.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — tyres (4.6%) and lighting & signalling (3.1%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are tread depth, pins and bushes and brake pads — tread depth alone was recorded 346 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 9.9% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 19.0% once past 90-120k.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 4.0pp more often than petrol ones (16.2% vs 12.2%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 22.3% of tests without failing them.
The trend is worsening — 10.2% of tests failed in 2021 against 14.1% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Ds7 model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 2,588 | 86.0% | 14.0% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 4,670 | 87.3% | 12.7% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 599 | 89.8% | 10.2% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 272 | 90.1% | 9.9% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 32 | 90.6% | 9.4% | Suspension |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 4.6% | 377 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 3.1% | 256 |
| 3 | Suspension | 2.9% | 236 |
| 4 | Brakes | 2.8% | 232 |
| 5 | Visibility | 1.7% | 135 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 0.9% | 73 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 0.8% | 69 |
| 8 | Steering | 0.4% | 30 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tread depth | 346 |
| 2 | Pins and bushes | 272 |
| 3 | Brake pads | 233 |
| 4 | Headlamp aim | 106 |
| 5 | Position lamp | 105 |
| 6 | Wipers | 81 |
| 7 | Washers | 67 |
| 8 | Joints | 61 |
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 | 22.3% | 1,819 |
| 2 | Brakes | 19.6% | 1,597 |
| 3 | Other defects | 6.7% | 548 |
| 4 | Body, structure & corrosion | 3.3% | 268 |
| 5 | Suspension | 3.2% | 258 |
| 6 | Visibility | 1.8% | 150 |
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 | 3,105 | 9.9% |
| 30-60k | 4,182 | 14.0% |
| 60-90k | 810 | 17.4% |
| 90-120k | 58 | 19.0% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 6,764 | 12.2% |
| Diesel | 1,405 | 16.2% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 508 | 10.2% |
| 2022 | 1,657 | 11.8% |
| 2023 | 1,886 | 11.9% |
| 2024 | 2,054 | 13.9% |
| 2025 | 2,064 | 14.1% |
What to check before buying a DS Ds7
- Tyres (4.6% 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.
- Lighting & signalling (3.1% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Suspension (2.9% 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.
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 DS Ds7?
87.2% of the 8,169 DS Ds7 MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 12.8% fail rate, across model years 2000–2022.
What does the DS Ds7 most often fail its MOT on?
Tyres, recorded in 4.6% of tests, then lighting & signalling (3.1%).
How much does mileage affect Ds7 MOT results?
Fail rates run at 9.9% for cars in the 0-30k band and 19.0% for 90-120k, a 9.1-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel Ds7 more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 12.2% of the time against 16.2% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 8,169 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.