Citroen C2: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Citroen C2 fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 16.7 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 10,950 individual Citroen C2 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 60% first-time pass rate means roughly 40 in every 100 Citroen C2s 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 C2 tested had covered 83,707 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 Citroen C2 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 C2 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 C2s actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Citroen C2

1. 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, 7.9% of tests (9.52x the national rate for this defect)
2. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 3.6% of tests (8.31x the national rate for this defect)
3. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 3% of tests (8.13x the national rate for this defect)
4. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 5.2% of tests (4.62x the national rate for this defect)
5. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 3.4% of tests (4.49x the national rate for this defect)
6. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 3% of tests (3.93x the national rate for this defect)
7. Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 3.2% of tests (3.27x the national rate for this defect)
8. A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 4.2% of tests (3.09x the national rate for this defect)
9. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 3.7% of tests (2.72x the national rate for this defect)
10. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 3.2% of tests (2.56x the national rate for this defect)

From 16,404 DVSA-tracked Citroen C2 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.65% of these flagged Citroen C2 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Citroen C2 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 C2 year:

• 2004 Citroen C2 - 58.2% first-time pass, 1,245 tests
• 2005 Citroen C2 - 58.9% first-time pass, 1,619 tests
• 2006 Citroen C2 - 62.1% first-time pass, 1,697 tests
• 2007 Citroen C2 - 62.1% first-time pass, 1,976 tests
• 2008 Citroen C2 - 61.4% first-time pass, 1,746 tests
• 2009 Citroen C2 - 60.6% first-time pass, 2,154 tests
• 2010 Citroen C2 - 57.6% first-time pass, 269 tests

Citroen C2 by fuel type

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

• Petrol Citroen C2 - 61% first-time pass, 9,296 tests
• Diesel Citroen C2 - 58.2% first-time pass, 1,541 tests

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

• Chrysler Pt Cruiser - 60.1%
• Chrysler-Jeep Grand Voyager - 60.1%
• Volkswagen Fox - 60%
• Fiat Seicento - 60%
• Peugeot 4007 - 59.9%
• Fiat Stilo - 59.9%

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