2014 Skoda Citigo — MOT failures & pass rate
The 2014 Skoda Citigo passed 86.7% of its 52,621 recorded MOT tests. That is 4.1 percentage points better than city cars of a similar age, which fail at 17.4%. Failures cluster in lighting & signalling, brakes and visibility.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (5.5%) and brakes (5.0%) 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 1,674 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 27.8% versus 6.8%.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 25.0% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 11.0% of tests failed in 2021 against 16.3% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
Top failure categories
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 5.5% | 2,880 |
| 2 | Brakes | 5.0% | 2,621 |
| 3 | Visibility | 3.7% | 1,932 |
| 4 | Tyres | 3.6% | 1,884 |
| 5 | Suspension | 2.4% | 1,243 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 2.1% | 1,131 |
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 | 1,674 |
| 2 | Headlamp aim | 1,619 |
| 3 | Wipers | 1,529 |
| 4 | Catalyst emissions | 1,372 |
| 5 | Tread depth | 1,166 |
| 6 | Registration plate lamp(s) | 756 |
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% | 13,172 |
| 2 | Brakes | 16.1% | 8,466 |
| 3 | Suspension | 7.5% | 3,971 |
| 4 | Other defects | 7.4% | 3,894 |
| 5 | Visibility | 3.0% | 1,598 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 2.0% | 1,036 |
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 | 8,818 | 6.8% |
| 30-60k | 23,660 | 11.5% |
| 60-90k | 14,574 | 17.0% |
| 90-120k | 4,353 | 20.4% |
| 120-150k | 951 | 25.7% |
| 150k+ | 241 | 27.8% |
Failure rate by age
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 10,359 | 11.0% |
| 2022 | 10,424 | 11.7% |
| 2023 | 10,445 | 12.8% |
| 2024 | 10,630 | 14.6% |
| 2025 | 10,763 | 16.3% |
What to check before buying a 2014 Citigo
The failure pattern for this year is specific enough to inspect against: lighting & signalling accounted for 5.5% of tests. Start there.
- Lighting & signalling (5.5% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- 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.
- Visibility (3.7% 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
How many 2014 Skoda Citigos pass their MOT?
86.7% of the 52,621 2014 Skoda Citigo MOT tests in this dataset passed — a 13.3% fail rate.
What is the most common MOT failure on a 2014 Skoda Citigo?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 5.5% of tests, followed by brakes (5.0%).
Does the 2014 Citigo get worse with mileage?
Its MOT fail rate rises from 6.8% in the 0-30k band to 27.8% in the 150k+ band.
Methodology & source. Based on 52,621 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.