2012 Skoda Citigo — MOT failures & pass rate
The 2012 Skoda Citigo passed 85.6% of its 21,878 recorded MOT tests. That is 6.5 percentage points better than city cars of a similar age, which fail at 20.9%. Failures cluster in brakes, lighting & signalling and tyres.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — brakes (5.9%) and lighting & signalling (5.8%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are service brake performance, headlamp aim and wipers — service brake performance alone was recorded 869 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 7.2% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 21.1% once past 150k — 2.9× the risk.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 24.8% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 12.1% of tests failed in 2021 against 16.6% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
Top failure categories
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brakes | 5.9% | 1,296 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 5.8% | 1,257 |
| 3 | Tyres | 3.4% | 743 |
| 4 | Visibility | 3.4% | 740 |
| 5 | Suspension | 3.2% | 692 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 2.5% | 558 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Service brake performance | 869 |
| 2 | Headlamp aim | 694 |
| 3 | Wipers | 547 |
| 4 | Tread depth | 489 |
| 5 | Washers | 306 |
| 6 | Fuel cap/sealing device | 286 |
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 | 24.8% | 5,432 |
| 2 | Brakes | 18.1% | 3,958 |
| 3 | Suspension | 10.5% | 2,308 |
| 4 | Other defects | 8.2% | 1,803 |
| 5 | Body, structure & corrosion | 3.5% | 769 |
| 6 | Visibility | 3.1% | 687 |
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 | 2,802 | 7.2% |
| 30-60k | 8,484 | 11.6% |
| 60-90k | 6,883 | 16.5% |
| 90-120k | 2,820 | 22.2% |
| 120-150k | 705 | 23.8% |
| 150k+ | 180 | 21.1% |
Failure rate by age
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 4,289 | 12.1% |
| 2022 | 4,355 | 13.0% |
| 2023 | 4,413 | 14.6% |
| 2024 | 4,433 | 15.9% |
| 2025 | 4,388 | 16.6% |
What to check before buying a 2012 Citigo
The failure pattern for this year is specific enough to inspect against: brakes accounted for 5.9% of tests. Start there.
- Brakes (5.9% 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.
- 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.
- Tyres (3.4% 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.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
How many 2012 Skoda Citigos pass their MOT?
85.6% of the 21,878 2012 Skoda Citigo MOT tests in this dataset passed — a 14.4% fail rate.
What is the most common MOT failure on a 2012 Skoda Citigo?
Brakes, recorded in 5.9% of tests, followed by lighting & signalling (5.8%).
Does the 2012 Citigo get worse with mileage?
Its MOT fail rate rises from 7.2% in the 0-30k band to 21.1% in the 150k+ band.
Methodology & source. Based on 21,878 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.