Citroen C3: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Citroen C3 fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 6.3 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 184,582 individual Citroen C3 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 70.4% first-time pass rate means roughly 30 in every 100 Citroen C3s 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 C3 tested had covered 65,427 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. The Citroen C3 sits 6.3 points below the national average, ranked 1,744 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. See how it stacks up against the Ford Fiesta.

Looking at a specific Citroen C3 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 the median recorded closing bid for a damaged Citroen C3: £350 at UK salvage auction, from 30 ended listings, not independently confirmed sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Citroen C3

1. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 2.5% of tests (4.24x the national rate for this defect)
2. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 3.2% of tests (3.17x the national rate for this defect)
3. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 4.2% of tests (2.74x the national rate for this defect)
4. Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 3.5% of tests (2.59x the national rate for this defect)
5. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 2% of tests (2.48x the national rate for this defect)
6. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 3.1% of tests (2.41x the national rate for this defect)
7. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 2.6% of tests (2.09x the national rate for this defect)
8. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 3.8% of tests (1.67x the national rate for this defect)
9. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 2.8% of tests (1.64x 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, 3.4% of tests (1.53x the national rate for this defect)

From 184,645 DVSA-tracked Citroen C3 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.38% of these flagged Citroen C3 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Citroen C3

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 C3 before it actually fails on it.

1. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 11.3% of tests (3.98x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
2. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 5.4% of tests (3.94x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. A brake hose ferrule excessively corroded, 3.3% of tests (2.6x the national rate for this advisory)
4. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 2.7% of tests (2x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
5. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 5.4% of tests (1.7x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
6. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 3.2% of tests (1.62x the national rate for this advisory)
7. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 19.7% of tests (1.61x the national rate for this advisory)
8. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 8% of tests (1.44x the national rate for this advisory)
9. A tyre seriously damaged, 20.6% of tests (1.33x the national rate for this advisory)
10. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 15.6% of tests (1.17x the national rate for this advisory)

From 184,645 DVSA-tracked Citroen C3 tests, 2024.

Citroen C3 pass rate by model year

From its 2002 to its 2021 model year, the Citroen C3's first-time pass rate has risen 35.4 points, from 58.9% to 94.3%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Citroen C3 year:

• 2002 Citroen C3 - 58.9% first-time pass, 920 tests
• 2003 Citroen C3 - 57.5% first-time pass, 2,608 tests
• 2004 Citroen C3 - 59% first-time pass, 3,264 tests
• 2005 Citroen C3 - 58.9% first-time pass, 4,037 tests
• 2006 Citroen C3 - 61.2% first-time pass, 4,734 tests
• 2007 Citroen C3 - 60.5% first-time pass, 5,335 tests
• 2008 Citroen C3 - 59.8% first-time pass, 4,924 tests
• 2009 Citroen C3 - 59.8% first-time pass, 9,530 tests
• 2010 Citroen C3 - 59.9% first-time pass, 18,379 tests
• 2011 Citroen C3 - 61.8% first-time pass, 15,471 tests
• 2012 Citroen C3 - 65.2% first-time pass, 15,042 tests
• 2013 Citroen C3 - 68% first-time pass, 13,563 tests
• 2014 Citroen C3 - 72.1% first-time pass, 13,898 tests
• 2015 Citroen C3 - 74.9% first-time pass, 12,260 tests
• 2016 Citroen C3 - 76.9% first-time pass, 8,845 tests
• 2017 Citroen C3 - 80.5% first-time pass, 15,657 tests
• 2018 Citroen C3 - 84.7% first-time pass, 15,945 tests
• 2019 Citroen C3 - 88.6% first-time pass, 13,422 tests
• 2020 Citroen C3 - 91% first-time pass, 4,837 tests
• 2021 Citroen C3 - 94.3% first-time pass, 849 tests

Citroen C3 by fuel type

The Citroen C3's two most-tested fuel types split by 9.3 points: petrol passes first time 74.2% of the time (116,199 tests) against 64.9% for diesel (67,325 tests).

• Petrol Citroen C3 - 74.2% first-time pass, 116,199 tests
• Diesel Citroen C3 - 64.9% first-time pass, 67,325 tests

Other Citroen models

• 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%
• Citroen C4 Cactus - 79.2%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Rover 216 - 70.7%
• Land Rover Freelander - 70.6%
• Hyundai I30 - 70.5%
• Fiat 500c - 70.4%
• Toyota Mr2 - 70.4%
• Toyota Hiace - 70.4%

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

Run a site about the Citroen C3? Embed the real DVSA pass-rate badge free, linked back to this page.

<a href="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/mot/citroen-c3"><img src="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/badge/citroen-c3.svg" width="340" height="92" alt="Citroen C3 MOT Pass Rate: 70.4% - Salvage Prophet"></a>

Run a garage or parts site? Embed the Citroen C3's top real failure reason instead, linked back here.

<a href="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/mot/citroen-c3"><img src="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/badge/failure/citroen-c3.svg" width="340" height="106" alt="Citroen C3 most common MOT failure: Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements (2.5% of tests) - Salvage Prophet"></a>

All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate