Chevrolet Cruze: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Chevrolet Cruze fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 7.7 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 5,110 individual Chevrolet Cruze tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 69% first-time pass rate means roughly 31 in every 100 Chevrolet Cruzes presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is worse than average, so budget for remedial work and treat a fresh 12-month MOT as a genuine selling point rather than a given. The average Chevrolet Cruze tested had covered 84,008 miles and was built around 2012.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Chevrolet Cruze sits 7.7 points below the national average, ranked 1,784 of 2,005 models. On one bought as repairable salvage, assume the mechanical side needs more than the visible accident damage, and pad your repair estimate accordingly.

Before you bid: run the lot through the analyzer, check the car's own record, check the mileage, decode the VIN, and if it carries a marker use the write-off value calculator. Or compare it against another model.

Looking at a specific Chevrolet Cruze rather than the model in general? The free check covers its MOT and mileage history, and the full HPI report confirms the insurance write-off category, outstanding finance and whether it is recorded stolen, from licensed data for 5 credits. Already own one that has been damaged? Work out whether fixing it beats selling it with the repair or scrap calculator, and see recorded closing bids for damaged Chevrolet Cruzes at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Chevrolet Cruze

1. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 9.7% of tests (4.27x the national rate for this defect)
2. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 2% of tests (3.39x the national rate for this defect)
3. Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction, 3.6% of tests (2.79x the national rate for this defect)
4. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 5.3% of tests (2.38x the national rate for this defect)
5. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 4.4% of tests (2.07x the national rate for this defect)
6. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 2% of tests (1.96x the national rate for this defect)
7. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 2.3% of tests (1.89x the national rate for this defect)
8. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 2.4% of tests (1.87x the national rate for this defect)
9. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 3.2% of tests (1.68x the national rate for this defect)
10. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 2.1% of tests (1.27x the national rate for this defect)

From 5,102 DVSA-tracked Chevrolet Cruze tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 5.17% of these flagged Chevrolet Cruze defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Chevrolet Cruze

An advisory doesn't fail the car - the tester flags it as worth watching, but it still passes. A different list from the failures above: what testers are noting on a Chevrolet Cruze before it actually fails on it.

1. Power steering fluid leaking or system malfunctioning, 1.8% of tests (7.55x the national rate for this advisory)
2. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 7.6% of tests (5.57x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 22.2% of tests (4x the national rate for this advisory)
4. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 8.6% of tests (3.02x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
5. Number plate inscription missing or illegible, 5.3% of tests (1.99x the national rate for this advisory)
6. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 9% of tests (1.91x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
7. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 3.2% of tests (1.6x the national rate for this advisory)
8. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 4.6% of tests (1.43x the national rate for this advisory)
9. A tyre seriously damaged, 20.3% of tests (1.31x the national rate for this advisory)
10. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 16.1% of tests (1.31x the national rate for this advisory)

From 5,102 DVSA-tracked Chevrolet Cruze tests, 2024.

Chevrolet Cruze pass rate by model year

From its 2010 to its 2014 model year, the Chevrolet Cruze's first-time pass rate has risen 6.9 points, from 66.6% to 73.5%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Chevrolet Cruze year:

• 2009 Chevrolet Cruze - 67.1% first-time pass, 234 tests
• 2010 Chevrolet Cruze - 66.6% first-time pass, 608 tests
• 2011 Chevrolet Cruze - 70.9% first-time pass, 986 tests
• 2012 Chevrolet Cruze - 68.6% first-time pass, 1,496 tests
• 2013 Chevrolet Cruze - 69.8% first-time pass, 1,251 tests
• 2014 Chevrolet Cruze - 73.5% first-time pass, 479 tests

Chevrolet Cruze by fuel type

The Chevrolet Cruze's two most-tested fuel types split by 2.6 points: petrol passes first time 70.2% of the time (3,732 tests) against 67.6% for diesel (1,336 tests).

• Petrol Chevrolet Cruze - 70.2% first-time pass, 3,732 tests
• Diesel Chevrolet Cruze - 67.6% first-time pass, 1,336 tests

Other Chevrolet models

• Chevrolet Spark - 64.7%
• Chevrolet Matiz - 57.7%
• Chevrolet Aveo - 56.6%
• Chevrolet Captiva - 58.3%
• Chevrolet Orlando - 68.5%
• Chevrolet Kalos - 54.5%
• Chevrolet Lacetti - 56.2%
• Chevrolet Trax - 67.5%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Rover 25 - 69.2%
• Chrysler-Jeep 300 - 69.1%
• Volvo V70 - 69%
• Mercedes-Benz C 320 - 69%
• Mercedes-Benz Vito 110 Pure Cdi - 69%
• Vauxhall Meriva - 68.9%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
• What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
• Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences
• Do you need an HPI check on a car you know is a write-off?

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate