Nissan Pulsar MOT pass rate & common failures
The Nissan Pulsar appears in 126,426 MOT tests spanning model years 1987–2021, and 83.3% of them passed. Small family cars of a similar age fail 14.1% of the time, so this is 2.6pp worse than the group it competes with. Its most common failure areas are suspension, tyres and brakes.
Best and worst Pulsar years
Ranked across Pulsar 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
Not every year is equal — 90.3% of 2018 examples pass against 76.9% of 2014 ones.
No single area dominates — suspension (7.5%) and tyres (5.2%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are ball joint, coil spring and tread depth — ball joint alone was recorded 5,516 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 28.8% versus 7.3%.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 7.5pp more often than petrol ones (21.7% vs 14.2%) — 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 — 11.1% of tests failed in 2021 against 20.8% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Pulsar model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 45 | 80.0% | 20.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1999 | 41 | 87.8% | 12.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2000 | 47 | 87.2% | 12.8% | Emissions & environmental |
| 2003 | 50 | 88.0% | 12.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2005 | 34 | 85.3% | 14.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 8,510 | 76.9% | 23.1% | Suspension |
| 2015 | 46,612 | 80.0% | 20.0% | Suspension |
| 2016 | 36,429 | 84.0% | 16.0% | Suspension |
| 2017 | 23,288 | 87.8% | 12.3% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 11,126 | 90.3% | 9.7% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 7.5% | 9,507 |
| 2 | Tyres | 5.2% | 6,586 |
| 3 | Brakes | 5.0% | 6,315 |
| 4 | Lighting & signalling | 3.9% | 4,930 |
| 5 | Steering | 2.2% | 2,807 |
| 6 | Visibility | 1.5% | 1,948 |
| 7 | Emissions & environmental | 1.3% | 1,659 |
| 8 | Body, structure & corrosion | 0.5% | 662 |
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 | 5,516 |
| 2 | Coil spring | 4,258 |
| 3 | Tread depth | 4,092 |
| 4 | Brake pads | 4,085 |
| 5 | Track rod end | 3,250 |
| 6 | Headlamp aim | 2,371 |
| 7 | Position lamp | 1,634 |
| 8 | Washers | 1,330 |
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% | 31,554 |
| 2 | Brakes | 22.2% | 28,017 |
| 3 | Suspension | 10.3% | 13,083 |
| 4 | Other defects | 7.2% | 9,079 |
| 5 | Emissions & environmental | 2.8% | 3,489 |
| 6 | Lighting & signalling | 2.6% | 3,326 |
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 | 25,824 | 7.3% |
| 30-60k | 56,710 | 14.8% |
| 60-90k | 31,866 | 23.4% |
| 90-120k | 9,226 | 27.5% |
| 120-150k | 2,104 | 28.9% |
| 150k+ | 677 | 28.8% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 85,236 | 14.2% |
| Diesel | 41,190 | 21.7% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 24,189 | 11.1% |
| 2022 | 24,914 | 14.2% |
| 2023 | 25,624 | 17.3% |
| 2024 | 25,777 | 19.4% |
| 2025 | 25,922 | 20.8% |
What to check before buying a Nissan Pulsar
- Suspension (7.5% 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.
- Tyres (5.2% 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.
- Brakes (5.0% 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 Nissan Pulsar?
83.3% of the 126,426 Nissan Pulsar MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 16.7% fail rate, across model years 1987–2021.
What does the Nissan Pulsar most often fail its MOT on?
Suspension, recorded in 7.5% of tests, then tyres (5.2%).
Which Pulsar years are best and worst for MOT results?
2018 has the best pass rate at 90.3% and 2014 the weakest at 76.9%, from 11,126 and 8,510 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Pulsar MOT results?
Fail rates run at 7.3% for cars in the 0-30k band and 28.8% for 150k+, a 21.5-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel Pulsar more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 14.2% of the time against 21.7% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 126,426 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.