Vauxhall Insignia MOT pass rate & common failures
1,312,179 MOT tests on the Vauxhall Insignia (1984–2025) give it a 79.5% pass rate. Large family cars of a similar age fail 18.8% of the time, so this is 1.7pp worse than the group it competes with. Its most common failure areas are suspension, lighting & signalling and tyres.
Best and worst Insignia years
Ranked across Insignia 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
Not every year is equal — 88.5% of 2020 examples pass against 74.9% of 2009 ones.
No single area dominates — suspension (8.8%) and lighting & signalling (8.3%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are coil spring, tread depth and brake pads — coil spring alone was recorded 83,349 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 24.5% versus 11.0%.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 2.6pp more often than petrol ones (21.0% vs 18.4%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 29.3% of tests without failing them.
The trend is worsening — 19.2% of tests failed in 2021 against 21.6% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Insignia model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 895 | 75.8% | 24.3% | Suspension |
| 2009 | 78,519 | 74.9% | 25.1% | Suspension |
| 2010 | 104,631 | 76.5% | 23.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 160,829 | 77.7% | 22.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 136,280 | 78.0% | 22.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 136,639 | 78.2% | 21.8% | Suspension |
| 2014 | 163,297 | 77.9% | 22.1% | Suspension |
| 2015 | 180,686 | 79.7% | 20.3% | Suspension |
| 2016 | 139,489 | 80.6% | 19.4% | Suspension |
| 2017 | 92,110 | 84.6% | 15.4% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 73,782 | 87.1% | 12.9% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 37,680 | 87.3% | 12.7% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 4,526 | 88.5% | 11.5% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 2,093 | 88.1% | 11.8% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 716 | 86.2% | 13.8% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 8.8% | 115,713 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 8.3% | 109,347 |
| 3 | Tyres | 6.9% | 90,245 |
| 4 | Brakes | 5.4% | 71,048 |
| 5 | Visibility | 3.5% | 45,767 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 2.6% | 34,207 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 1.8% | 23,912 |
| 8 | Steering | 0.4% | 4,583 |
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 | 83,349 |
| 2 | Tread depth | 63,172 |
| 3 | Brake pads | 47,891 |
| 4 | Headlamp aim | 45,303 |
| 5 | Headlamp | 39,593 |
| 6 | Wipers | 35,335 |
| 7 | Registration plate lamp(s) | 26,694 |
| 8 | Pins and bushes | 20,095 |
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 | 29.3% | 384,795 |
| 2 | Brakes | 20.0% | 262,050 |
| 3 | Suspension | 17.4% | 228,605 |
| 4 | Other defects | 10.3% | 134,870 |
| 5 | Lighting & signalling | 9.7% | 127,617 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 8.6% | 112,893 |
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 | 46,300 | 11.0% |
| 30-60k | 223,594 | 15.4% |
| 60-90k | 364,118 | 19.7% |
| 90-120k | 348,413 | 22.5% |
| 120-150k | 206,182 | 23.7% |
| 150k+ | 120,651 | 24.5% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 1,081,637 | 21.0% |
| Petrol | 230,513 | 18.4% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 285,424 | 19.2% |
| 2022 | 284,200 | 20.1% |
| 2023 | 270,224 | 21.1% |
| 2024 | 247,569 | 21.1% |
| 2025 | 224,762 | 21.6% |
What to check before buying a Vauxhall Insignia
- Suspension (8.8% 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 (8.3% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Tyres (6.9% 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 Vauxhall Insignia?
79.5% of the 1,312,179 Vauxhall Insignia MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 20.5% fail rate, across model years 1984–2025.
What does the Vauxhall Insignia most often fail its MOT on?
Suspension, recorded in 8.8% of tests, then lighting & signalling (8.3%).
Which Insignia years are best and worst for MOT results?
2020 has the best pass rate at 88.5% and 2009 the weakest at 74.9%, from 4,526 and 78,519 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Insignia MOT results?
Fail rates run at 11.0% for cars in the 0-30k band and 24.5% for 150k+, a 13.5-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel Insignia more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 18.4% of the time against 21.0% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 1,312,179 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.