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
| First-time pass rate | 55.2% |
| UK national average | 76.7% |
| Difference | -21.5 points |
| Tests analysed | 1,077 |
| Average mileage at test | 95,290 miles |
| Average year of manufacture | 1997 |
| Reliability rank | 1,996 of 2,005 models |
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. On a Citroen C15 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 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 what damaged Citroen C15s actually sold for at UK salvage auction.
Most common MOT failures on a Citroen C15
- Lamp not securely attached, 6.8% of tests (55.69x the national rate for this defect)
- Service brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 5.6% of tests (32.88x the national rate for this defect)
- Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 9.7% of tests (26.66x the national rate for this defect)
- 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, 19% of tests (22.89x the national rate for this defect)
- 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, 4.9% of tests (21.24x the national rate for this defect)
- A direction indicator lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 7% of tests (14.36x the national rate for this defect)
- 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., 5.6% of tests (14.01x the national rate for this defect)
- The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 15.2% of tests (8.62x the national rate for this defect)
- Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 4% of tests (5.22x the national rate for this defect)
- A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 5.8% of tests (5.16x the national rate for this defect)
From 2,352 DVSA-tracked Citroen C15 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.32% of these flagged Citroen C15 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
- 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
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