Vauxhall Mokka MOT pass rate & common failures
1,337,180 MOT tests on the Vauxhall Mokka (2002–2025) give it an 83.6% pass rate. Small SUVs of a similar age fail 14.1% of the time, so this is 2.3pp worse than the group it competes with. Its most common failure areas are suspension, lighting & signalling and tyres.
Best and worst Mokka years
Ranked across Mokka 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: 2023 cars pass 93.8% of the time while 2012 cars manage 76.4%, a 17.4-point spread.
No single area dominates — suspension (7.6%) and lighting & signalling (6.5%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are ball joint dust cover, wipers and coil spring — ball joint dust cover alone was recorded 69,021 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 7.0% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 28.4% once past 150k — 4.0× the risk.
The electric cars hold up better: 9.1% fail against 20.1% for diesel, a 11.0-point gap across 368,955 tests.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 23.8% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 11.0% of tests failed in 2021 against 20.5% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Mokka model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 5,167 | 76.4% | 23.5% | Suspension |
| 2013 | 80,466 | 77.6% | 22.4% | Suspension |
| 2014 | 196,570 | 80.0% | 20.0% | Suspension |
| 2015 | 262,946 | 81.3% | 18.7% | Suspension |
| 2016 | 240,254 | 82.3% | 17.7% | Suspension |
| 2017 | 213,995 | 85.0% | 15.0% | Suspension |
| 2018 | 180,453 | 87.9% | 12.1% | Suspension |
| 2019 | 101,714 | 89.7% | 10.3% | Visibility |
| 2021 | 28,186 | 90.4% | 9.6% | Visibility |
| 2022 | 25,865 | 92.3% | 7.7% | Visibility |
| 2023 | 1,507 | 93.8% | 6.2% | Tyres |
| 2024 | 42 | 92.9% | 7.1% | Seat belts & restraints |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 7.6% | 101,746 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 6.5% | 86,528 |
| 3 | Tyres | 4.2% | 56,316 |
| 4 | Visibility | 4.0% | 52,768 |
| 5 | Brakes | 3.6% | 48,064 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 2.1% | 27,446 |
| 7 | Steering | 1.7% | 22,595 |
| 8 | Body, structure & corrosion | 1.4% | 18,046 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ball joint dust cover | 69,021 |
| 2 | Wipers | 45,967 |
| 3 | Coil spring | 40,582 |
| 4 | Position lamp | 36,282 |
| 5 | Brake pads | 33,916 |
| 6 | Headlamp aim | 32,466 |
| 7 | Track rod end | 26,893 |
| 8 | Tread depth | 21,939 |
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 | 23.8% | 317,569 |
| 2 | Brakes | 16.4% | 219,960 |
| 3 | Suspension | 9.9% | 132,358 |
| 4 | Other defects | 8.9% | 118,595 |
| 5 | Emissions & environmental | 6.1% | 81,494 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 4.7% | 63,325 |
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 | 311,965 | 7.0% |
| 30-60k | 587,572 | 15.8% |
| 60-90k | 317,541 | 22.8% |
| 90-120k | 93,412 | 26.5% |
| 120-150k | 21,165 | 27.8% |
| 150k+ | 5,440 | 28.4% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 968,223 | 15.2% |
| Diesel | 356,081 | 20.1% |
| Electric | 12,874 | 9.1% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 224,801 | 11.0% |
| 2022 | 253,674 | 13.0% |
| 2023 | 262,302 | 16.7% |
| 2024 | 282,374 | 19.0% |
| 2025 | 314,029 | 20.5% |
What to check before buying a Vauxhall Mokka
- Suspension (7.6% 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 (6.5% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Tyres (4.2% 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 Mokka?
83.6% of the 1,337,180 Vauxhall Mokka MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 16.4% fail rate, across model years 2002–2025.
What does the Vauxhall Mokka most often fail its MOT on?
Suspension, recorded in 7.6% of tests, then lighting & signalling (6.5%).
Which Mokka years are best and worst for MOT results?
2023 has the best pass rate at 93.8% and 2012 the weakest at 76.4%, from 1,507 and 5,167 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Mokka MOT results?
Fail rates run at 7.0% for cars in the 0-30k band and 28.4% for 150k+, a 21.4-point difference.
Is the electric or diesel Mokka more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the electric fails 9.1% of the time against 20.1% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 1,337,180 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.