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. On a Citroen C3 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. 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 what damaged Citroen C3s actually sold for at UK salvage auction, from 4 real settled sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Citroen C3

1. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 2.1% of tests (4.71x the national rate for this defect)
2. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 2.5% of tests (3.34x the national rate for this defect)
3. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 3.3% of tests (2.95x 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, 2.8% of tests (2.83x the national rate for this defect)
5. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 1.5% of tests (2.66x the national rate for this defect)
6. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 2.4% of tests (2.58x 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% of tests (2.27x the national rate for this defect)
8. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 3% of tests (1.82x the national rate for this defect)
9. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 2.2% of tests (1.77x 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, 2.7% of tests (1.67x the national rate for this defect)

From 257,887 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 4.97% nationally.

Citroen C3 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 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

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

• 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

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate