Skoda Superb MOT pass rate & common failures
The Skoda Superb appears in 360,325 MOT tests spanning model years 2002–2025, and 84.6% of them passed. That is effectively the same as large family cars of a similar age (16.2% fail rate), so the MOT record here is unremarkable in either direction. Its most common failure areas are suspension, tyres and lighting & signalling.
Best and worst Superb years
Ranked across Superb 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
Build year matters more than the headline suggests: 2023 cars pass 96.6% of the time while 2006 cars manage 73.1%, a 23.5-point spread.
No single area dominates — suspension (6.3%) and tyres (6.3%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are headlamp aim, shock absorbers and tread depth — headlamp aim alone was recorded 9,881 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 7.2% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 20.8% once past 150k — 2.9× the risk.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 4.8pp more often than petrol ones (16.4% vs 11.7%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 23.7% of tests without failing them.
The trend is worsening — 14.2% of tests failed in 2021 against 16.3% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Superb model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 389 | 74.0% | 26.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2003 | 819 | 74.1% | 25.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2004 | 1,182 | 75.1% | 24.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2005 | 1,552 | 76.0% | 24.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2006 | 1,438 | 73.1% | 26.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2007 | 1,501 | 73.8% | 26.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 2,413 | 76.4% | 23.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 6,538 | 75.8% | 24.2% | Suspension |
| 2010 | 12,128 | 76.4% | 23.6% | Suspension |
| 2011 | 18,275 | 77.4% | 22.6% | Suspension |
| 2012 | 25,150 | 79.0% | 20.9% | Suspension |
| 2013 | 23,298 | 80.5% | 19.5% | Suspension |
| 2014 | 28,641 | 81.6% | 18.4% | Suspension |
| 2015 | 28,489 | 83.3% | 16.7% | Tyres |
| 2016 | 48,123 | 87.1% | 12.9% | Tyres |
| 2017 | 52,558 | 87.8% | 12.2% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 43,128 | 88.5% | 11.5% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 32,004 | 88.2% | 11.8% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 17,040 | 89.0% | 11.0% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 9,896 | 89.2% | 10.8% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 4,390 | 91.9% | 8.1% | Tyres |
| 2023 | 1,021 | 96.6% | 3.4% | Tyres |
| 2024 | 295 | 97.0% | 3.0% | Tyres |
| 2025 | 57 | 100.0% | 0.0% | - |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 6.3% | 22,691 |
| 2 | Tyres | 6.3% | 22,694 |
| 3 | Lighting & signalling | 4.8% | 17,278 |
| 4 | Brakes | 3.0% | 10,744 |
| 5 | Emissions & environmental | 1.6% | 5,917 |
| 6 | Visibility | 1.6% | 5,700 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 0.9% | 3,218 |
| 8 | Seat belts & restraints | 0.6% | 2,245 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Headlamp aim | 9,881 |
| 2 | Shock absorbers | 8,880 |
| 3 | Tread depth | 8,531 |
| 4 | Coil spring | 7,083 |
| 5 | Pins and bushes | 6,746 |
| 6 | Brake pads | 5,364 |
| 7 | Malfunction indicator lamp | 4,706 |
| 8 | Wipers | 4,262 |
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 | 23.7% | 85,332 |
| 2 | Brakes | 19.3% | 69,529 |
| 3 | Suspension | 15.6% | 56,295 |
| 4 | Other defects | 7.5% | 26,931 |
| 5 | Visibility | 4.2% | 15,145 |
| 6 | Lighting & signalling | 3.3% | 11,930 |
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 | 34,625 | 7.2% |
| 30-60k | 89,106 | 11.2% |
| 60-90k | 84,967 | 15.5% |
| 90-120k | 61,346 | 18.7% |
| 120-150k | 38,724 | 19.8% |
| 150k+ | 51,427 | 20.8% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 281,977 | 16.4% |
| Petrol | 68,926 | 11.7% |
| Hybrid | 9,400 | 11.9% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 62,785 | 14.2% |
| 2022 | 69,506 | 14.8% |
| 2023 | 73,884 | 15.4% |
| 2024 | 76,717 | 16.1% |
| 2025 | 77,433 | 16.3% |
What to check before buying a Skoda Superb
- Suspension (6.3% 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 (6.3% 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.
- Lighting & signalling (4.8% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£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 Superb?
84.6% of the 360,325 Skoda Superb MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 15.4% fail rate, across model years 2002–2025.
What does the Skoda Superb most often fail its MOT on?
Suspension, recorded in 6.3% of tests, then tyres (6.3%).
Which Superb years are best and worst for MOT results?
2023 has the best pass rate at 96.6% and 2006 the weakest at 73.1%, from 1,021 and 1,438 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Superb MOT results?
Fail rates run at 7.2% for cars in the 0-30k band and 20.8% for 150k+, a 13.6-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel Superb more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 11.7% of the time against 16.4% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 360,325 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.