Citroen 2cv: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Citroen 2cv passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 0 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 2,583 individual Citroen 2cv tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 76.7% first-time pass rate means roughly 23 in every 100 Citroen 2cvs presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is better than average, so a well-kept example is a reasonably safe used buy. The average Citroen 2cv tested had covered 53,530 miles and was built around 1987.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Citroen 2cv bought as a repairable salvage, the mechanical side is less likely to spring surprises, so your repair estimate should hold up reasonably well.

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 Citroen 2cv 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 Citroen 2cvs actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Citroen 2cv

1. A king pin loose in the axle beam, 1.5% of tests (1373.22x the national rate for this defect)
2. 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, 2.8% of tests (12.02x the national rate for this defect)
3. An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 4% of tests (11.73x the national rate for this defect)
4. Emissions levels exceed default limits, 3% of tests (10.15x the national rate for this defect)
5. A direction indicator lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 3.5% of tests (7.12x the national rate for this defect)
6. Brakes imbalance across an axle such that the braking effort from any wheel is less than 70% of the maximum effort recorded from the other wheel on the same axle., 1.3% of tests (3.29x the national rate for this defect)
7. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 5.3% of tests (3.01x the national rate for this defect)
8. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 2.6% of tests (2.94x the national rate for this defect)
9. 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, 2% of tests (2.38x the national rate for this defect)
10. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 3.5% of tests (2.15x the national rate for this defect)

From 6,034 DVSA-tracked Citroen 2cv tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.89% of these flagged Citroen 2cv defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Other Citroen models

• Citroen C3 - 70.4%
• Citroen Berlingo - 68.3%
• Citroen C1 - 75.1%
• Citroen C4 - 66%
• Citroen Ds3 - 60.4%
• Citroen Dispatch - 66.2%
• Citroen Xsara - 58%
• Citroen C3 Aircross - 86.4%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Mercedes-Benz E 400 Amg Ln Ngt Ed Prm+D 4m A - 76.8%
• Toyota Land Cruiser - 76.7%
• MINI MINI (R57) - 76.7%
• Volkswagen Corrado - 76.7%
• Honda Elysion - 76.7%
• Toyota Urban Cruiser - 76.6%

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