Skoda Citigo MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 11 model years and 289,018 tests, the Skoda Citigo passes its MOT 88.2% of the time. City cars of a similar age fail 15.0% of the time, so this is 3.1pp better than the group it competes with. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, brakes and visibility.
Best and worst Citigo years
Ranked across Citigo 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 — 94.5% of 2019 examples pass against 85.6% of 2012 ones.
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (5.8%) and brakes (3.8%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are wipers, headlamp aim and catalyst emissions — wipers alone was recorded 9,220 times.
Condition tracks the odometer closely. Failures run at 6.6% in the 0-30k band and 25.4% in the 150k+ band, a 18.8-point spread — more than double.
Split by fuel, petrol examples fail 4.2pp more often than electric ones (11.8% vs 7.6%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 24.0% of tests without failing them.
The trend is worsening — 9.8% of tests failed in 2021 against 14.4% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Citigo model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 21,878 | 85.6% | 14.4% | Brakes |
| 2013 | 40,233 | 86.3% | 13.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 52,621 | 86.7% | 13.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 45,759 | 87.4% | 12.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2016 | 44,555 | 86.9% | 13.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 34,866 | 89.8% | 10.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2018 | 28,829 | 92.3% | 7.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2019 | 19,254 | 94.5% | 5.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2020 | 908 | 92.1% | 7.9% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 111 | 95.5% | 4.5% | Lighting & signalling |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 5.8% | 16,618 |
| 2 | Brakes | 3.8% | 10,996 |
| 3 | Visibility | 3.8% | 10,927 |
| 4 | Tyres | 3.1% | 8,998 |
| 5 | Suspension | 2.2% | 6,260 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 1.7% | 4,772 |
| 7 | Emissions & environmental | 1.4% | 4,049 |
| 8 | Seat belts & restraints | 0.4% | 1,066 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wipers | 9,220 |
| 2 | Headlamp aim | 8,783 |
| 3 | Catalyst emissions | 6,830 |
| 4 | Service brake performance | 6,763 |
| 5 | Position lamp | 5,566 |
| 6 | Tread depth | 5,100 |
| 7 | Washers | 3,803 |
| 8 | Pins and bushes | 3,684 |
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 | 24.0% | 69,299 |
| 2 | Brakes | 14.2% | 41,139 |
| 3 | Suspension | 6.9% | 19,839 |
| 4 | Other defects | 6.6% | 19,130 |
| 5 | Visibility | 2.8% | 8,153 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 1.4% | 3,925 |
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 | 96,698 | 6.6% |
| 30-60k | 120,319 | 12.1% |
| 60-90k | 53,130 | 17.3% |
| 90-120k | 14,690 | 21.1% |
| 120-150k | 3,259 | 24.6% |
| 150k+ | 870 | 25.4% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 287,983 | 11.8% |
| Electric | 1,012 | 7.6% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 52,773 | 9.8% |
| 2022 | 57,879 | 10.0% |
| 2023 | 58,979 | 11.5% |
| 2024 | 59,276 | 13.2% |
| 2025 | 60,111 | 14.4% |
What to check before buying a Skoda Citigo
- Lighting & signalling (5.8% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (3.8% 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.
- Visibility (3.8% of tests): Wipers, washers, mirrors and screen damage — usually inexpensive, but check for chips in the driver's line of sight. Typical repair: £15–£150.
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 Skoda Citigo?
88.2% of the 289,018 Skoda Citigo MOT tests in this dataset passed, an 11.8% fail rate, across model years 2011–2021.
What does the Skoda Citigo most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 5.8% of tests, then brakes (3.8%).
Which Citigo years are best and worst for MOT results?
2019 has the best pass rate at 94.5% and 2012 the weakest at 85.6%, from 19,254 and 21,878 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Citigo MOT results?
Fail rates run at 6.6% for cars in the 0-30k band and 25.4% for 150k+, a 18.8-point difference.
Is the electric or petrol Citigo more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the electric fails 7.6% of the time against 11.8% for the petrol. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 289,018 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.