Vauxhall Astra MOT pass rate & common failures
4,357,149 MOT tests on the Vauxhall Astra (1980–2025) give it a 77.7% pass rate. Small family cars of a similar age fail 20.7% of the time, so this is 1.6pp worse than the group it competes with. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, suspension and brakes.
Best and worst Astra years
Ranked across Astra 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: 2022 cars pass 92.3% of the time while 2005 cars manage 69.5%, a 22.8-point spread.
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (10.6%) and suspension (10.0%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are coil spring, headlamp aim and tread depth — coil spring alone was recorded 274,361 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 29.7% versus 8.3%.
Fuel type barely separates them — petrol fails 22.2% of the time against 22.4% for diesel.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 29.0% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
How it compares
By model year
Every Astra model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 51 | 86.3% | 13.7% | Brakes |
| 1983 | 141 | 87.2% | 12.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1984 | 225 | 89.3% | 10.7% | Brakes |
| 1985 | 88 | 80.7% | 19.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1986 | 79 | 83.5% | 16.5% | Brakes |
| 1987 | 153 | 83.0% | 17.0% | Body, structure & corrosion |
| 1988 | 266 | 91.3% | 8.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1989 | 563 | 83.3% | 16.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1990 | 668 | 86.4% | 13.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1991 | 638 | 86.1% | 14.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1992 | 559 | 79.1% | 20.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1993 | 1,249 | 77.8% | 22.2% | Suspension |
| 1994 | 1,771 | 75.3% | 24.7% | Suspension |
| 1995 | 2,646 | 73.8% | 26.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1996 | 2,453 | 72.8% | 27.2% | Suspension |
| 1997 | 4,330 | 73.7% | 26.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1998 | 4,927 | 71.8% | 28.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1999 | 9,996 | 70.8% | 29.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2000 | 16,385 | 71.3% | 28.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2001 | 28,754 | 71.7% | 28.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2002 | 50,317 | 71.0% | 29.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2003 | 64,821 | 71.8% | 28.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2004 | 74,460 | 70.5% | 29.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2005 | 138,002 | 69.5% | 30.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2006 | 198,659 | 69.5% | 30.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2007 | 306,408 | 70.7% | 29.3% | Suspension |
| 2008 | 296,441 | 71.6% | 28.4% | Suspension |
| 2009 | 277,103 | 72.3% | 27.7% | Suspension |
| 2010 | 356,248 | 74.9% | 25.1% | Suspension |
| 2011 | 303,477 | 76.8% | 23.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 333,443 | 78.2% | 21.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 368,677 | 79.1% | 20.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 330,669 | 79.4% | 20.6% | Suspension |
| 2015 | 289,917 | 81.7% | 18.3% | Tyres |
| 2016 | 326,868 | 85.9% | 14.1% | Tyres |
| 2017 | 263,143 | 87.8% | 12.3% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 169,021 | 88.8% | 11.2% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 95,868 | 89.8% | 10.2% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 21,136 | 90.1% | 9.8% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 13,076 | 91.1% | 8.9% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 3,177 | 92.3% | 7.7% | Tyres |
| 2023 | 232 | 96.1% | 3.9% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 10.6% | 461,165 |
| 2 | Suspension | 10.0% | 436,939 |
| 3 | Brakes | 7.3% | 317,212 |
| 4 | Tyres | 6.2% | 271,925 |
| 5 | Visibility | 4.5% | 195,155 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 4.2% | 181,182 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 3.5% | 151,417 |
| 8 | Steering | 0.9% | 39,821 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coil spring | 274,361 |
| 2 | Headlamp aim | 195,318 |
| 3 | Tread depth | 147,110 |
| 4 | Washers | 135,956 |
| 5 | Brake pads | 127,825 |
| 6 | Headlamp | 126,987 |
| 7 | Position lamp | 112,428 |
| 8 | Exhaust system | 90,859 |
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 | 29.0% | 1,263,261 |
| 2 | Brakes | 27.8% | 1,209,886 |
| 3 | Suspension | 19.1% | 832,441 |
| 4 | Emissions & environmental | 14.2% | 618,057 |
| 5 | Other defects | 12.8% | 555,502 |
| 6 | Lighting & signalling | 8.5% | 369,403 |
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 | 279,186 | 8.3% |
| 30-60k | 945,511 | 15.8% |
| 60-90k | 1,283,555 | 22.3% |
| 90-120k | 1,052,226 | 26.6% |
| 120-150k | 523,767 | 28.8% |
| 150k+ | 265,972 | 29.7% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 3,024,235 | 22.2% |
| Diesel | 1,332,308 | 22.4% |
| Hybrid | 424 | 8.5% |
| Gas/LPG | 115 | 21.7% |
| Other | 38 | 36.8% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,002,377 | 22.8% |
| 2022 | 942,902 | 22.0% |
| 2023 | 879,665 | 22.3% |
| 2024 | 803,820 | 22.0% |
| 2025 | 728,385 | 22.1% |
What to check before buying a Vauxhall Astra
- Lighting & signalling (10.6% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Suspension (10.0% 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 (7.3% 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 Vauxhall Astra?
77.7% of the 4,357,149 Vauxhall Astra MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 22.3% fail rate, across model years 1980–2025.
What does the Vauxhall Astra most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 10.6% of tests, then suspension (10.0%).
Which Astra years are best and worst for MOT results?
2022 has the best pass rate at 92.3% and 2005 the weakest at 69.5%, from 3,177 and 138,002 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Astra MOT results?
Fail rates run at 8.3% for cars in the 0-30k band and 29.7% for 150k+, a 21.4-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel Astra more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 22.2% of the time against 22.4% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 4,357,149 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.