Vauxhall Corsa MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 43 model years and 5,864,073 tests, the Vauxhall Corsa passes its MOT 77.6% of the time. That is 2.0 percentage points worse than superminis of a similar age, which fail at 20.4%. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, suspension and visibility.
Best and worst Corsa years
Ranked across Corsa 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 2023 (94.4% pass rate); the weakest is 2004 (67.9%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (11.5%) and suspension (10.3%) 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 washers — coil spring alone was recorded 353,202 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 11.6% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 29.7% once past 150k — 2.6× the risk.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 11.2pp more often than electric ones (25.0% vs 13.8%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 27.6% of tests without failing them.
How it compares
By model year
Every Corsa model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 462 | 81.0% | 19.1% | Suspension |
| 1994 | 918 | 76.5% | 23.5% | Suspension |
| 1995 | 1,177 | 75.8% | 24.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1996 | 2,201 | 72.5% | 27.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1997 | 4,327 | 74.2% | 25.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1998 | 6,507 | 73.8% | 26.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1999 | 8,549 | 72.7% | 27.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2000 | 11,999 | 71.0% | 29.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2001 | 30,851 | 68.2% | 31.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2002 | 46,997 | 68.1% | 31.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2003 | 69,982 | 67.9% | 32.1% | Suspension |
| 2004 | 83,279 | 67.9% | 32.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2005 | 109,977 | 68.1% | 31.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2006 | 151,448 | 68.8% | 31.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2007 | 271,009 | 71.4% | 28.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 340,002 | 72.4% | 27.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 349,846 | 73.2% | 26.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 371,364 | 73.9% | 26.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 401,276 | 75.4% | 24.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 487,013 | 75.7% | 24.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 481,376 | 76.2% | 23.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 485,094 | 76.7% | 23.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 546,983 | 80.0% | 20.1% | Suspension |
| 2016 | 459,058 | 82.3% | 17.7% | Suspension |
| 2017 | 307,706 | 84.1% | 15.9% | Visibility |
| 2018 | 304,831 | 86.6% | 13.4% | Visibility |
| 2019 | 242,024 | 88.4% | 11.6% | Visibility |
| 2020 | 152,752 | 89.7% | 10.3% | Visibility |
| 2021 | 92,010 | 89.6% | 10.3% | Visibility |
| 2022 | 41,307 | 91.0% | 9.0% | Visibility |
| 2023 | 1,694 | 94.4% | 5.6% | Visibility |
| 2024 | 32 | 96.9% | 3.1% | Lighting & signalling |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 11.5% | 673,757 |
| 2 | Suspension | 10.3% | 604,685 |
| 3 | Visibility | 5.7% | 333,467 |
| 4 | Brakes | 5.6% | 330,018 |
| 5 | Tyres | 5.1% | 302,009 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 3.7% | 219,513 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 3.3% | 191,958 |
| 8 | Steering | 2.7% | 159,846 |
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 | 353,202 |
| 2 | Headlamp aim | 241,664 |
| 3 | Washers | 197,597 |
| 4 | Wipers | 188,037 |
| 5 | Stop lamp | 187,416 |
| 6 | Track rod end | 187,100 |
| 7 | Headlamp | 186,115 |
| 8 | Tread depth | 153,192 |
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 | 27.6% | 1,619,103 |
| 2 | Suspension | 20.7% | 1,212,999 |
| 3 | Brakes | 18.1% | 1,060,307 |
| 4 | Emissions & environmental | 10.4% | 608,434 |
| 5 | Other defects | 9.2% | 538,195 |
| 6 | Lighting & signalling | 8.1% | 476,464 |
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 | 906,779 | 11.6% |
| 30-60k | 1,904,942 | 19.6% |
| 60-90k | 1,775,500 | 25.9% |
| 90-120k | 932,147 | 28.9% |
| 120-150k | 268,342 | 29.9% |
| 150k+ | 70,021 | 29.7% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 5,322,960 | 22.1% |
| Diesel | 513,645 | 25.0% |
| Electric | 27,396 | 13.8% |
| Gas/LPG | 53 | 15.1% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,203,536 | 22.7% |
| 2022 | 1,189,397 | 21.9% |
| 2023 | 1,189,334 | 22.5% |
| 2024 | 1,154,636 | 22.2% |
| 2025 | 1,127,170 | 22.5% |
What to check before buying a Vauxhall Corsa
- Lighting & signalling (11.5% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Suspension (10.3% 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.
- Visibility (5.7% of tests): Wipers, washers, mirrors and screen damage — usually inexpensive, but check for chips in the driver's line of sight. Typical repair: £15–£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 Vauxhall Corsa?
77.6% of the 5,864,073 Vauxhall Corsa MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 22.4% fail rate, across model years 1983–2025.
What does the Vauxhall Corsa most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 11.5% of tests, then suspension (10.3%).
Which Corsa years are best and worst for MOT results?
2023 has the best pass rate at 94.4% and 2004 the weakest at 67.9%, from 1,694 and 83,279 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Corsa MOT results?
Fail rates run at 11.6% for cars in the 0-30k band and 29.7% for 150k+, a 18.2-point difference.
Is the electric or diesel Corsa more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the electric fails 13.8% of the time against 25.0% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 5,864,073 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.