Skoda Yeti MOT pass rate & common failures
The Skoda Yeti appears in 442,961 MOT tests spanning model years 2009–2023, and 85.2% of them passed. That is 3.2 percentage points better than small SUVs of a similar age, which fail at 18.0%. Its most common failure areas are suspension, lighting & signalling and tyres.
Best and worst Yeti years
Ranked across Yeti 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 2017 (90.6% pass rate); the weakest is 2009 (76.3%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
No single area dominates — suspension (6.8%) and lighting & signalling (5.3%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are headlamp aim, coil spring and pins and bushes — headlamp aim alone was recorded 14,582 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 7.3% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 25.8% once past 150k — 3.6× the risk.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 4.3pp more often than petrol ones (16.6% vs 12.3%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 21.9% of tests without failing them.
The trend is worsening — 11.4% of tests failed in 2021 against 18.3% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Yeti model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 3,587 | 76.3% | 23.7% | Suspension |
| 2010 | 24,275 | 76.7% | 23.3% | Suspension |
| 2011 | 32,807 | 79.3% | 20.8% | Suspension |
| 2012 | 41,369 | 80.7% | 19.3% | Suspension |
| 2013 | 61,043 | 83.8% | 16.2% | Suspension |
| 2014 | 71,490 | 85.5% | 14.5% | Suspension |
| 2015 | 72,504 | 86.8% | 13.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2016 | 73,958 | 88.6% | 11.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 61,651 | 90.6% | 9.4% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 251 | 87.3% | 12.8% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 6.8% | 30,001 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 5.3% | 23,705 |
| 3 | Tyres | 3.8% | 16,823 |
| 4 | Brakes | 3.7% | 16,201 |
| 5 | Visibility | 1.6% | 7,021 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 1.5% | 6,583 |
| 7 | Emissions & environmental | 1.4% | 6,395 |
| 8 | Seat belts & restraints | 0.4% | 1,955 |
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 | 14,582 |
| 2 | Coil spring | 11,527 |
| 3 | Pins and bushes | 10,919 |
| 4 | Brake pads | 6,661 |
| 5 | Tread depth | 5,983 |
| 6 | Wipers | 5,532 |
| 7 | Malfunction indicator lamp | 5,375 |
| 8 | Position lamp | 5,206 |
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 | 21.9% | 96,789 |
| 2 | Suspension | 20.8% | 92,162 |
| 3 | Brakes | 18.4% | 81,516 |
| 4 | Other defects | 6.4% | 28,533 |
| 5 | Visibility | 3.3% | 14,444 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 2.6% | 11,426 |
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 | 53,322 | 7.3% |
| 30-60k | 154,370 | 11.0% |
| 60-90k | 126,537 | 16.1% |
| 90-120k | 68,589 | 20.9% |
| 120-150k | 27,672 | 24.0% |
| 150k+ | 12,374 | 25.8% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 255,959 | 16.6% |
| Petrol | 186,994 | 12.3% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 86,257 | 11.4% |
| 2022 | 87,397 | 12.8% |
| 2023 | 88,995 | 14.6% |
| 2024 | 89,626 | 16.4% |
| 2025 | 90,686 | 18.3% |
What to check before buying a Skoda Yeti
- Suspension (6.8% 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.
- Lighting & signalling (5.3% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Tyres (3.8% 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
What is the MOT pass rate for the Skoda Yeti?
85.2% of the 442,961 Skoda Yeti MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 14.8% fail rate, across model years 2009–2023.
What does the Skoda Yeti most often fail its MOT on?
Suspension, recorded in 6.8% of tests, then lighting & signalling (5.3%).
Which Yeti years are best and worst for MOT results?
2017 has the best pass rate at 90.6% and 2009 the weakest at 76.3%, from 61,651 and 3,587 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Yeti MOT results?
Fail rates run at 7.3% for cars in the 0-30k band and 25.8% for 150k+, a 18.5-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel Yeti more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 12.3% of the time against 16.6% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 442,961 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.