Jaguar S-Type MOT pass rate & common failures
The Jaguar S-Type appears in 84,809 MOT tests spanning model years 1981–2021, and 73.8% of them passed. That is 2.3 percentage points worse than executive cars of a similar age, which fail at 23.9%. Its most common failure areas are suspension, lighting & signalling and brakes.
Best and worst S-Type years
Ranked across S-Type 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 2007 (76.1% pass rate); the weakest is 2001 (70.4%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
No single area dominates — suspension (13.4%) and lighting & signalling (11.0%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are ball joint dust cover, headlamp aim and track rod end — ball joint dust cover alone was recorded 9,528 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 31.8% versus 17.3%.
Fuel type barely separates them — diesel fails 25.9% of the time against 26.3% for petrol.
Suspension is the most common advisory, noted on 36.1% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
How it compares
By model year
Every S-Type model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 3,412 | 72.1% | 27.9% | Suspension |
| 2000 | 5,419 | 71.9% | 28.1% | Suspension |
| 2001 | 5,720 | 70.4% | 29.6% | Suspension |
| 2002 | 8,279 | 72.1% | 27.9% | Suspension |
| 2003 | 10,484 | 73.6% | 26.4% | Suspension |
| 2004 | 12,921 | 73.9% | 26.1% | Suspension |
| 2005 | 12,122 | 73.4% | 26.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2006 | 12,432 | 75.6% | 24.4% | Suspension |
| 2007 | 13,761 | 76.1% | 23.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 87 | 75.9% | 24.1% | Lighting & signalling |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 13.4% | 11,357 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 11.0% | 9,292 |
| 3 | Brakes | 9.8% | 8,335 |
| 4 | Tyres | 5.0% | 4,229 |
| 5 | Visibility | 4.7% | 4,012 |
| 6 | Steering | 4.6% | 3,937 |
| 7 | Emissions & environmental | 4.3% | 3,645 |
| 8 | Body, structure & corrosion | 3.1% | 2,648 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ball joint dust cover | 9,528 |
| 2 | Headlamp aim | 5,189 |
| 3 | Track rod end | 5,148 |
| 4 | Pins and bushes | 3,491 |
| 5 | Linkage ball joint dust cover | 3,180 |
| 6 | Component mounting prescribed areas | 2,869 |
| 7 | Wipers | 2,731 |
| 8 | Position lamp | 2,416 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 36.1% | 30,613 |
| 2 | Brakes | 31.0% | 26,321 |
| 3 | Tyres | 23.7% | 20,118 |
| 4 | Emissions & environmental | 12.8% | 10,858 |
| 5 | Lighting & signalling | 8.6% | 7,338 |
| 6 | Other defects | 7.5% | 6,361 |
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 | 1,877 | 17.3% |
| 30-60k | 11,476 | 21.3% |
| 60-90k | 26,695 | 24.9% |
| 90-120k | 26,201 | 27.4% |
| 120-150k | 12,839 | 29.5% |
| 150k+ | 5,537 | 31.8% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 58,166 | 26.3% |
| Diesel | 26,634 | 25.9% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 23,230 | 25.9% |
| 2022 | 19,765 | 26.3% |
| 2023 | 16,600 | 25.9% |
| 2024 | 13,793 | 27.0% |
| 2025 | 11,421 | 26.1% |
What to check before buying a Jaguar S-Type
- Suspension (13.4% 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.
- Lighting & signalling (11.0% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (9.8% 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 Jaguar S-Type?
73.8% of the 84,809 Jaguar S-Type MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 26.2% fail rate, across model years 1981–2021.
What does the Jaguar S-Type most often fail its MOT on?
Suspension, recorded in 13.4% of tests, then lighting & signalling (11.0%).
Which S-Type years are best and worst for MOT results?
2007 has the best pass rate at 76.1% and 2001 the weakest at 70.4%, from 13,761 and 5,720 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect S-Type MOT results?
Fail rates run at 17.3% for cars in the 0-30k band and 31.8% for 150k+, a 14.4-point difference.
Is the diesel or petrol S-Type more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the diesel fails 25.9% of the time against 26.3% for the petrol. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 84,809 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.