Vauxhall Combo MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 33 model years and 666,840 tests, the Vauxhall Combo passes its MOT 74.7% of the time. Vans of a similar age fail 22.9% of the time, so this is 2.3pp worse than the group it competes with. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, suspension and brakes.
Best and worst Combo years
Ranked across Combo 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 85.5% of the time while 2003 cars manage 65.5%, a 20.0-point spread.
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (14.4%) and suspension (12.7%) 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 wipers — headlamp aim alone was recorded 41,820 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 13.8% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 32.2% once past 150k — 2.3× the risk.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 15.2pp more often than electric ones (25.7% vs 10.5%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 28.4% of tests without failing them.
The trend is improving — the fail rate fell from 27.8% in 2021 to 23.0% in 2025, as the worst-kept examples leave the fleet.
How it compares
By model year
Every Combo model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 44 | 68.2% | 31.8% | Suspension |
| 1995 | 130 | 66.9% | 33.1% | Suspension |
| 1996 | 230 | 75.2% | 24.8% | Suspension |
| 1997 | 161 | 71.4% | 28.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1998 | 234 | 77.8% | 22.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1999 | 425 | 72.2% | 27.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2000 | 414 | 69.6% | 30.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2001 | 822 | 68.0% | 32.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2002 | 5,380 | 65.6% | 34.4% | Suspension |
| 2003 | 14,901 | 65.5% | 34.5% | Suspension |
| 2004 | 19,578 | 65.6% | 34.4% | Suspension |
| 2005 | 21,972 | 67.1% | 32.9% | Suspension |
| 2006 | 31,118 | 66.7% | 33.3% | Suspension |
| 2007 | 38,401 | 67.7% | 32.3% | Suspension |
| 2008 | 44,275 | 68.7% | 31.3% | Suspension |
| 2009 | 31,170 | 69.6% | 30.4% | Suspension |
| 2010 | 48,718 | 73.5% | 26.5% | Suspension |
| 2011 | 52,640 | 75.0% | 25.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 22,074 | 70.3% | 29.6% | Suspension |
| 2013 | 23,552 | 72.5% | 27.5% | Suspension |
| 2014 | 33,980 | 74.1% | 25.9% | Suspension |
| 2015 | 35,788 | 75.0% | 25.0% | Suspension |
| 2016 | 34,035 | 76.2% | 23.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 24,087 | 77.1% | 22.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2018 | 18,543 | 80.4% | 19.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2019 | 75,938 | 83.8% | 16.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2020 | 50,128 | 83.2% | 16.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2021 | 29,888 | 84.1% | 15.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2022 | 7,939 | 85.5% | 14.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2023 | 245 | 88.6% | 11.4% | Visibility |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 14.4% | 96,140 |
| 2 | Suspension | 12.7% | 84,341 |
| 3 | Brakes | 8.3% | 55,094 |
| 4 | Visibility | 7.3% | 49,035 |
| 5 | Tyres | 7.1% | 47,351 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 4.8% | 31,879 |
| 7 | Emissions & environmental | 3.9% | 25,840 |
| 8 | Steering | 3.4% | 22,369 |
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 | 41,820 |
| 2 | Coil spring | 38,842 |
| 3 | Wipers | 31,405 |
| 4 | Tread depth | 27,288 |
| 5 | Headlamp | 26,195 |
| 6 | Washers | 25,189 |
| 7 | Position lamp | 22,899 |
| 8 | Rigid brake pipes | 19,497 |
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 | 28.4% | 189,367 |
| 2 | Brakes | 25.8% | 172,267 |
| 3 | Suspension | 22.3% | 148,566 |
| 4 | Other defects | 13.8% | 92,233 |
| 5 | Emissions & environmental | 12.1% | 80,750 |
| 6 | Lighting & signalling | 11.9% | 79,420 |
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 | 58,101 | 13.8% |
| 30-60k | 131,792 | 18.4% |
| 60-90k | 143,096 | 23.7% |
| 90-120k | 136,220 | 28.8% |
| 120-150k | 103,390 | 31.2% |
| 150k+ | 87,632 | 32.2% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 642,816 | 25.7% |
| Petrol | 22,440 | 14.9% |
| Electric | 1,539 | 10.5% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 124,714 | 27.8% |
| 2022 | 132,915 | 26.1% |
| 2023 | 138,706 | 25.4% |
| 2024 | 139,768 | 24.3% |
| 2025 | 130,737 | 23.0% |
What to check before buying a Vauxhall Combo
- Lighting & signalling (14.4% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Suspension (12.7% 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 (8.3% 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 Combo?
74.7% of the 666,840 Vauxhall Combo MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 25.3% fail rate, across model years 1993–2025.
What does the Vauxhall Combo most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 14.4% of tests, then suspension (12.7%).
Which Combo years are best and worst for MOT results?
2022 has the best pass rate at 85.5% and 2003 the weakest at 65.5%, from 7,939 and 14,901 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Combo MOT results?
Fail rates run at 13.8% for cars in the 0-30k band and 32.2% for 150k+, a 18.4-point difference.
Is the electric or diesel Combo more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the electric fails 10.5% of the time against 25.7% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 666,840 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.