Citroen C1: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Citroen C1 fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 1.6 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 165,304 individual Citroen C1 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 75.1% first-time pass rate means roughly 25 in every 100 Citroen C1s 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 Citroen C1 tested had covered 61,671 miles and was built around 2013.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Citroen C1 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 Citroen C1 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 C1s actually sold for at UK salvage auction, from 4 real settled sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Citroen C1

1. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 3.1% of tests (4.11x the national rate for this defect)
2. Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer, 1.5% of tests (3.77x the national rate for this defect)
3. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 2.5% of tests (3.07x the national rate for this defect)
4. 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, 2.4% of tests (2.85x the national rate for this defect)
5. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 2% of tests (2.58x the national rate for this defect)
6. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 1% of tests (1.65x the national rate for this defect)
7. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 2.6% of tests (1.48x the national rate for this defect)
8. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 2.1% of tests (1.26x the national rate for this defect)
9. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 2.9% of tests (1.23x the national rate for this defect)
10. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 1.1% of tests (1.17x the national rate for this defect)

From 225,582 DVSA-tracked Citroen C1 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.39% of these flagged Citroen C1 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Citroen C1 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 Citroen C1 year:

• 2005 Citroen C1 - 61.3% first-time pass, 695 tests
• 2006 Citroen C1 - 59.8% first-time pass, 4,564 tests
• 2007 Citroen C1 - 61.3% first-time pass, 7,250 tests
• 2008 Citroen C1 - 61.4% first-time pass, 10,132 tests
• 2009 Citroen C1 - 63.9% first-time pass, 11,851 tests
• 2010 Citroen C1 - 68.5% first-time pass, 13,049 tests
• 2011 Citroen C1 - 70.5% first-time pass, 13,722 tests
• 2012 Citroen C1 - 73.6% first-time pass, 13,848 tests
• 2013 Citroen C1 - 76.1% first-time pass, 14,012 tests
• 2014 Citroen C1 - 79.9% first-time pass, 13,636 tests
• 2015 Citroen C1 - 82% first-time pass, 17,998 tests
• 2016 Citroen C1 - 83.1% first-time pass, 18,180 tests
• 2017 Citroen C1 - 85.2% first-time pass, 9,131 tests
• 2018 Citroen C1 - 88.7% first-time pass, 7,212 tests
• 2019 Citroen C1 - 91.1% first-time pass, 5,146 tests
• 2020 Citroen C1 - 90.9% first-time pass, 3,315 tests
• 2021 Citroen C1 - 95.7% first-time pass, 657 tests

Citroen C1 by fuel type

Diesel and petrol versions of the same car fail on different things, so the fuel type moves the number:

• Petrol Citroen C1 - 75.6% first-time pass, 163,316 tests
• Diesel Citroen C1 - 62% first-time pass, 1,054 tests

Other Citroen models

• Citroen C3 - 70.4%
• Citroen Berlingo - 68.3%
• Citroen C4 - 66%
• Citroen Ds3 - 60.4%
• Citroen Dispatch - 66.2%
• Citroen Xsara - 58%
• Citroen C3 Aircross - 86.4%
• Citroen C4 Cactus - 79.2%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Mitsubishi L200 - 75.2%
• Volvo Xc90 - 75.2%
• Volvo S60 - 75.2%
• London Taxis International Tx4 - 75.1%
• Volvo S80 - 75.1%
• Vauxhall Combo 2300 Sportive Td S/S - 75.1%

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

Embed this data

Run a site about the Citroen C1? Embed the real DVSA pass-rate badge free, linked back to this page.

<a href="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/mot/citroen-c1"><img src="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/badge/citroen-c1.svg" width="340" height="92" alt="Citroen C1 MOT Pass Rate: 75.1% - Salvage Prophet"></a>

All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate