Chevrolet Kalos: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Chevrolet Kalos fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 22.2 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 2,455 individual Chevrolet Kalos tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 54.5% first-time pass rate means roughly 46 in every 100 Chevrolet Kalos 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 Kalos tested had covered 66,242 miles and was built around 2007.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Chevrolet Kalos bought as a 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 Kalos 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 what damaged Chevrolet Kalos actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Chevrolet Kalos

1. Product on the lens or light source which obviously reduces light intensity or changes emitted colour to other than white or yellow, 3% of tests (19.42x the national rate for this defect)
2. The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, 12% of tests (14.47x the national rate for this defect)
3. The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any seat belt anchorage (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, 3.2% of tests (14.03x the national rate for this defect)
4. Warning device shows system malfunction, 3.9% of tests (12.62x the national rate for this defect)
5. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 3.3% of tests (8.96x the national rate for this defect)
6. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 6.3% of tests (8.29x the national rate for this defect)
7. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 6.1% of tests (6.4x the national rate for this defect)
8. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 17.8% of tests (4.83x the national rate for this defect)
9. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 8.4% of tests (4.75x the national rate for this defect)
10. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 3.8% of tests (4.63x the national rate for this defect)

From 3,529 DVSA-tracked Chevrolet Kalos tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.16% of these flagged Chevrolet Kalos defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Chevrolet Kalos pass rate by model year

Pass rates fall steadily as cars age, so the model year matters as much as the model. First-time pass rate for each Chevrolet Kalos year:

• 2005 Chevrolet Kalos - 52.9% first-time pass, 416 tests
• 2006 Chevrolet Kalos - 56.4% first-time pass, 525 tests
• 2007 Chevrolet Kalos - 56.2% first-time pass, 854 tests
• 2008 Chevrolet Kalos - 53.5% first-time pass, 632 tests

Other Chevrolet models

• Chevrolet Spark - 64.7%
• Chevrolet Matiz - 57.7%
• Chevrolet Aveo - 56.6%
• Chevrolet Captiva - 58.3%
• Chevrolet Cruze - 69%
• Chevrolet Orlando - 68.5%
• Chevrolet Lacetti - 56.2%
• Chevrolet Trax - 67.5%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Peugeot 807 - 54.8%
• Daewoo Matiz - 54.8%
• Citroen C8 - 54.7%
• Dodge Caliber - 54.5%
• Chrysler-Jeep Patriot - 54.4%
• Nissan Primastar - 54%

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

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate