Skoda Roomster MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 16 model years and 119,354 tests, the Skoda Roomster passes its MOT 78.7% of the time. That is 2.8 percentage points better than MPVs of a similar age, which fail at 24.1%. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, suspension and brakes.
Best and worst Roomster years
Ranked across Roomster 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
The strongest year on this record is 2015 (88.1% pass rate); the weakest is 2006 (67.6%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (11.1%) and suspension (8.7%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are position lamp, joints and headlamp aim — position lamp alone was recorded 4,946 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 8.5% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 32.5% once past 150k — 3.8× the risk.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 7.3pp more often than petrol ones (25.7% vs 18.3%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 27.1% of tests without failing them.
The trend is worsening — 19.4% of tests failed in 2021 against 23.4% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Roomster model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 3,162 | 67.6% | 32.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2007 | 18,052 | 70.3% | 29.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 15,204 | 71.7% | 28.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 7,923 | 73.3% | 26.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 8,549 | 78.0% | 22.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 10,011 | 79.7% | 20.3% | Suspension |
| 2012 | 14,926 | 80.9% | 19.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 15,870 | 83.9% | 16.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 15,962 | 86.3% | 13.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 9,652 | 88.1% | 11.8% | Lighting & signalling |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 11.1% | 13,230 |
| 2 | Suspension | 8.7% | 10,431 |
| 3 | Brakes | 6.4% | 7,681 |
| 4 | Tyres | 5.5% | 6,504 |
| 5 | Body, structure & corrosion | 5.2% | 6,214 |
| 6 | Visibility | 3.1% | 3,722 |
| 7 | Emissions & environmental | 2.5% | 2,976 |
| 8 | Steering | 2.0% | 2,437 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Position lamp | 4,946 |
| 2 | Joints | 4,373 |
| 3 | Headlamp aim | 3,839 |
| 4 | Service brake performance | 3,729 |
| 5 | Coil spring | 3,722 |
| 6 | Pins and bushes | 3,524 |
| 7 | Individual direction indicators | 3,419 |
| 8 | Headlamp | 3,315 |
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 | 27.1% | 32,284 |
| 2 | Brakes | 26.5% | 31,624 |
| 3 | Suspension | 19.8% | 23,670 |
| 4 | Other defects | 12.1% | 14,404 |
| 5 | Lighting & signalling | 11.9% | 14,204 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 8.2% | 9,774 |
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 | 7,394 | 8.5% |
| 30-60k | 29,560 | 13.6% |
| 60-90k | 35,051 | 20.5% |
| 90-120k | 26,064 | 26.7% |
| 120-150k | 13,703 | 30.6% |
| 150k+ | 7,470 | 32.5% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 70,576 | 18.3% |
| Diesel | 48,778 | 25.7% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 24,937 | 19.4% |
| 2022 | 24,556 | 19.9% |
| 2023 | 24,205 | 21.6% |
| 2024 | 23,375 | 22.8% |
| 2025 | 22,281 | 23.4% |
What to check before buying a Skoda Roomster
- Lighting & signalling (11.1% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Suspension (8.7% 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.
- Brakes (6.4% 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 Skoda Roomster?
78.7% of the 119,354 Skoda Roomster MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 21.3% fail rate, across model years 2005–2020.
What does the Skoda Roomster most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 11.1% of tests, then suspension (8.7%).
Which Roomster years are best and worst for MOT results?
2015 has the best pass rate at 88.1% and 2006 the weakest at 67.6%, from 9,652 and 3,162 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Roomster MOT results?
Fail rates run at 8.5% for cars in the 0-30k band and 32.5% for 150k+, a 24.0-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel Roomster more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 18.3% of the time against 25.7% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 119,354 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.