Vauxhall Vectra MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 35 model years and 274,125 tests, the Vauxhall Vectra passes its MOT 70.4% of the time. Against large family cars of a similar age (26.7% fail rate), the Vectra comes out 2.9pp worse. Its most common failure areas are suspension, lighting & signalling and brakes.
Best and worst Vectra years
Ranked across Vectra 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: 1998 cars pass 75.5% of the time while 2004 cars manage 68.7%, a 6.8-point spread.
No single area dominates — suspension (15.6%) and lighting & signalling (14.0%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are coil spring, rigid brake pipes and headlamp aim — coil spring alone was recorded 21,472 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 20.2% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 31.0% once past 150k.
Fuel type barely separates them — diesel fails 29.5% of the time against 29.6% for petrol.
Brakes is the most common advisory, noted on 39.0% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is improving — the fail rate fell from 30.5% in 2021 to 28.5% in 2025, as the worst-kept examples leave the fleet.
How it compares
By model year
Every Vectra model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 219 | 72.6% | 27.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1997 | 799 | 74.0% | 26.0% | Suspension |
| 1998 | 1,426 | 75.5% | 24.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1999 | 2,235 | 73.7% | 26.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2000 | 3,414 | 72.2% | 27.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2001 | 5,110 | 72.8% | 27.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2002 | 5,325 | 71.5% | 28.5% | Brakes |
| 2003 | 7,216 | 69.4% | 30.6% | Suspension |
| 2004 | 13,165 | 68.7% | 31.3% | Suspension |
| 2005 | 21,529 | 69.0% | 30.9% | Suspension |
| 2006 | 43,035 | 70.5% | 29.5% | Suspension |
| 2007 | 73,901 | 70.5% | 29.5% | Suspension |
| 2008 | 82,490 | 70.5% | 29.5% | Suspension |
| 2009 | 14,035 | 71.0% | 29.0% | Suspension |
| 2012 | 39 | 79.5% | 20.5% | Suspension |
| 2013 | 57 | 70.2% | 29.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 58 | 67.2% | 32.8% | Lighting & signalling |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 15.6% | 42,746 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 14.0% | 38,417 |
| 3 | Brakes | 13.8% | 37,805 |
| 4 | Tyres | 6.6% | 18,015 |
| 5 | Body, structure & corrosion | 6.4% | 17,425 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 6.2% | 16,949 |
| 7 | Visibility | 6.0% | 16,399 |
| 8 | Steering | 1.3% | 3,505 |
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 | 21,472 |
| 2 | Rigid brake pipes | 19,087 |
| 3 | Headlamp aim | 17,462 |
| 4 | Headlamp | 12,675 |
| 5 | Tread depth | 12,147 |
| 6 | Rbt (sp) | 11,368 |
| 7 | Pins and bushes | 11,289 |
| 8 | Wipers | 10,850 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brakes | 39.0% | 106,797 |
| 2 | Suspension | 36.6% | 100,341 |
| 3 | Tyres | 30.4% | 83,367 |
| 4 | Emissions & environmental | 19.8% | 54,195 |
| 5 | Lighting & signalling | 17.1% | 46,829 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 16.7% | 45,653 |
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 | 1,843 | 20.2% |
| 30-60k | 15,899 | 23.1% |
| 60-90k | 53,719 | 27.7% |
| 90-120k | 85,092 | 30.1% |
| 120-150k | 66,351 | 30.9% |
| 150k+ | 50,354 | 31.0% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 174,006 | 29.6% |
| Diesel | 100,088 | 29.5% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 87,081 | 30.5% |
| 2022 | 66,774 | 29.5% |
| 2023 | 51,938 | 29.1% |
| 2024 | 39,238 | 29.0% |
| 2025 | 29,094 | 28.5% |
What to check before buying a Vauxhall Vectra
- Suspension (15.6% 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 (14.0% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (13.8% 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 Vectra?
70.4% of the 274,125 Vauxhall Vectra MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 29.6% fail rate, across model years 1989–2023.
What does the Vauxhall Vectra most often fail its MOT on?
Suspension, recorded in 15.6% of tests, then lighting & signalling (14.0%).
Which Vectra years are best and worst for MOT results?
1998 has the best pass rate at 75.5% and 2004 the weakest at 68.7%, from 1,426 and 13,165 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Vectra MOT results?
Fail rates run at 20.2% for cars in the 0-30k band and 31.0% for 150k+, a 10.8-point difference.
Is the diesel or petrol Vectra more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the diesel fails 29.5% of the time against 29.6% for the petrol. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 274,125 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.