2016 Vauxhall Insignia — MOT failures & pass rate
Across 139,489 MOT tests, the 2016 Vauxhall Insignia recorded an 80.6% pass rate. That is 4.1 percentage points worse than large family cars of a similar age, which fail at 15.3%. Failures cluster in suspension, tyres and lighting & signalling.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — suspension (8.8%) and tyres (6.5%) 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 11,427 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 21.6% versus 14.0%.
The petrol cars hold up better: 16.7% fail against 19.6% for diesel, a 3.0-point gap across 139,466 tests.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 27.0% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 16.5% of tests failed in 2021 against 21.3% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
Top failure categories
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 8.8% | 12,298 |
| 2 | Tyres | 6.5% | 8,994 |
| 3 | Lighting & signalling | 6.0% | 8,416 |
| 4 | Brakes | 4.3% | 6,022 |
| 5 | Emissions & environmental | 3.2% | 4,469 |
| 6 | Visibility | 3.1% | 4,375 |
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 | 11,427 |
| 2 | Tread depth | 6,358 |
| 3 | Brake pads | 4,775 |
| 4 | Headlamp | 4,692 |
| 5 | Malfunction indicator lamp | 3,920 |
| 6 | Wipers | 3,625 |
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 | 27.0% | 37,724 |
| 2 | Brakes | 16.9% | 23,624 |
| 3 | Suspension | 9.4% | 13,185 |
| 4 | Other defects | 8.8% | 12,261 |
| 5 | Lighting & signalling | 5.2% | 7,261 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 4.5% | 6,288 |
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 | 5,813 | 14.0% |
| 30-60k | 41,495 | 17.3% |
| 60-90k | 50,099 | 20.3% |
| 90-120k | 26,747 | 21.0% |
| 120-150k | 10,066 | 20.8% |
| 150k+ | 5,148 | 21.6% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 127,332 | 19.6% |
| Petrol | 12,134 | 16.7% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 27,987 | 16.5% |
| 2022 | 28,397 | 18.5% |
| 2023 | 28,501 | 20.3% |
| 2024 | 27,766 | 20.3% |
| 2025 | 26,838 | 21.3% |
What to check before buying a 2016 Insignia
The failure pattern for this year is specific enough to inspect against: suspension accounted for 8.8% of tests. Start there.
- 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.
- Tyres (6.5% 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.
- Lighting & signalling (6.0% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£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
How many 2016 Vauxhall Insignias pass their MOT?
80.6% of the 139,489 2016 Vauxhall Insignia MOT tests in this dataset passed — a 19.4% fail rate.
What is the most common MOT failure on a 2016 Vauxhall Insignia?
Suspension, recorded in 8.8% of tests, followed by tyres (6.5%).
Does the 2016 Insignia get worse with mileage?
Its MOT fail rate rises from 14.0% in the 0-30k band to 21.6% in the 150k+ band.
Methodology & source. Based on 139,489 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.