Citroen C15: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Citroen C15 fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 21.5 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 1,077 individual Citroen C15 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 55.2% first-time pass rate means roughly 45 in every 100 Citroen C15s 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 C15 tested had covered 95,290 miles and was built around 1997.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Citroen C15 sits 21.5 points below the national average, ranked 1,996 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 Citroen C15 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 Citroen C15s at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Citroen C15

1. Lamp not securely attached, 8.1% of tests (49.84x the national rate for this defect)
2. Service brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 7% of tests (32.67x the national rate for this defect)
3. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 10.8% of tests (26.08x 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, 22.1% of tests (23.43x the national rate for this defect)
5. 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, 5.5% of tests (20.53x 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., 7.2% of tests (13.7x the national rate for this defect)
7. A direction indicator lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 8.6% of tests (13.06x the national rate for this defect)
8. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 19% of tests (8.07x the national rate for this defect)
9. Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 3.9% of tests (5.25x the national rate for this defect)
10. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 7.1% of tests (4.61x the national rate for this defect)

From 1,076 DVSA-tracked Citroen C15 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.3% of these flagged Citroen C15 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Citroen C15

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 Citroen C15 before it actually fails on it.

1. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 15.6% of tests (12.55x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
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, 13.7% of tests (9x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. A flexible brake hose excessively damaged, deteriorated, chafed, twisted or stretched, 4.5% of tests (7.96x the national rate for this advisory)
4. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 7.6% of tests (3.81x the national rate for this advisory)
5. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 17% of tests (3.06x the national rate for this advisory)
6. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 8.3% of tests (2.91x the national rate for this advisory)
7. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 13% of tests (2.75x the national rate for this advisory)
8. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 14.5% of tests (2.34x the national rate for this advisory)
9. Number plate inscription missing or illegible, 4.3% of tests (1.61x the national rate for this advisory)
10. A tyre seriously damaged, 13.7% of tests

From 1,076 DVSA-tracked Citroen C15 tests, 2024.

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

• Ford Freda - 55.5%
• Proton Savvy - 55.5%
• Fiat Multipla - 55.4%
• Peugeot 807 - 54.8%
• Daewoo Matiz - 54.8%
• Citroen C8 - 54.7%

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?

Embed this data

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate