Jaguar XE MOT pass rate & common failures
241,151 MOT tests on the Jaguar XE (2007–2023) give it an 87.2% pass rate. That is effectively the same as executive cars of a similar age (12.1% fail rate), so the MOT record here is unremarkable in either direction. Its most common failure areas are tyres, lighting & signalling and brakes.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — tyres (6.0%) and lighting & signalling (4.2%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are tread depth, wipers and stop lamp — tread depth alone was recorded 6,595 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 8.9% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 19.8% once past 150k — 2.2× the risk.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 3.0pp more often than petrol ones (13.7% vs 10.7%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 23.4% of tests without failing them.
The trend is worsening — 11.8% of tests failed in 2021 against 13.5% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every XE model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 49,267 | 85.9% | 14.1% | Tyres |
| 2016 | 70,365 | 86.6% | 13.4% | Tyres |
| 2017 | 60,080 | 87.9% | 12.1% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 32,192 | 88.2% | 11.8% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 21,086 | 87.9% | 12.1% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 5,761 | 88.4% | 11.6% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 2,211 | 87.3% | 12.7% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 155 | 89.0% | 11.0% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 6.0% | 14,477 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 4.2% | 10,013 |
| 3 | Brakes | 3.2% | 7,734 |
| 4 | Visibility | 3.1% | 7,434 |
| 5 | Suspension | 1.5% | 3,725 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 1.3% | 3,165 |
| 7 | Seat belts & restraints | 0.5% | 1,196 |
| 8 | Road wheels | 0.3% | 796 |
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 | 6,595 |
| 2 | Wipers | 6,512 |
| 3 | Stop lamp | 5,863 |
| 4 | Brake pads | 5,681 |
| 5 | Headlamp aim | 3,576 |
| 6 | Malfunction indicator lamp | 2,656 |
| 7 | Brake discs | 2,051 |
| 8 | Shock absorbers | 1,733 |
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 | 23.4% | 56,344 |
| 2 | Brakes | 21.5% | 51,782 |
| 3 | Other defects | 4.7% | 11,408 |
| 4 | Suspension | 4.5% | 10,849 |
| 5 | Visibility | 3.1% | 7,515 |
| 6 | Road wheels | 1.4% | 3,359 |
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 | 50,915 | 8.9% |
| 30-60k | 100,507 | 12.3% |
| 60-90k | 59,456 | 15.2% |
| 90-120k | 22,966 | 16.7% |
| 120-150k | 6,039 | 16.7% |
| 150k+ | 1,251 | 19.8% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 174,653 | 13.7% |
| Petrol | 66,488 | 10.7% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 43,866 | 11.8% |
| 2022 | 48,589 | 12.3% |
| 2023 | 50,029 | 13.0% |
| 2024 | 49,897 | 13.5% |
| 2025 | 48,770 | 13.5% |
What to check before buying a Jaguar XE
- Tyres (6.0% 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 (4.2% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (3.2% 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 XE?
87.2% of the 241,151 Jaguar XE MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 12.8% fail rate, across model years 2007–2023.
What does the Jaguar XE most often fail its MOT on?
Tyres, recorded in 6.0% of tests, then lighting & signalling (4.2%).
How much does mileage affect XE MOT results?
Fail rates run at 8.9% for cars in the 0-30k band and 19.8% for 150k+, a 11.0-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel XE more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 10.7% of the time against 13.7% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 241,151 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.