Citroen C3 Picasso: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Citroen C3 Picasso passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 0.6 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 6,603 individual Citroen C3 Picasso tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 77.3% first-time pass rate means roughly 23 in every 100 Citroen C3 Picassos presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is better than average, so a well-kept example is a reasonably safe used buy. The average Citroen C3 Picasso tested had covered 49,276 miles and was built around 2016.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Citroen C3 Picasso sits 0.6 points above the national average, ranked 1,542 of 2,005 models. On one bought as repairable salvage, the mechanical side is less likely to spring surprises, so your repair estimate should hold up reasonably well.

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 C3 Picasso 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 Picasso: £225 at UK salvage auction, from 10 ended listings, not independently confirmed sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Citroen C3 Picasso

1. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 5.5% of tests (3.61x the national rate for this defect)
2. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 1.8% of tests (2.27x the national rate for this defect)
3. Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 3.1% of tests (2.25x the national rate for this defect)
4. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 1.3% of tests (2.25x the national rate for this defect)
5. A tyre seriously damaged, 4.7% of tests (1.67x the national rate for this defect)
6. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 1.5% of tests (1.48x 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, 1.7% of tests (1.38x the national rate for this defect)
8. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 2% of tests (1.21x the national rate for this defect)
9. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 2.1% of tests
10. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 2% of tests

From 6,428 DVSA-tracked Citroen C3 Picasso tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 5.12% of these flagged Citroen C3 Picasso 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 Picasso

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 Picasso before it actually fails on it.

1. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 6% of tests (4.41x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
2. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 10.2% of tests (3.6x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. A wheel badly distorted or wear between wheel and hub at spigot mounting, 3.2% of tests (3.02x the national rate for this advisory)
4. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 29.7% of tests (2.43x the national rate for this advisory)
5. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 7.1% of tests (2.23x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
6. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 2.9% of tests (1.46x the national rate for this advisory)
7. A brake hose ferrule excessively corroded, 1.7% of tests (1.37x the national rate for this advisory)
8. A tyre seriously damaged, 20.7% of tests (1.34x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
9. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 24.6% of tests
10. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 9.8% of tests, also fails

From 6,428 DVSA-tracked Citroen C3 Picasso tests, 2024.

Citroen C3 Picasso pass rate by model year

From its 2016 to its 2017 model year, the Citroen C3 Picasso's first-time pass rate has risen 2.1 points, from 78.1% to 80.2%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Citroen C3 Picasso year:

• 2013 Citroen C3 Picasso - 76.2% first-time pass, 210 tests
• 2014 Citroen C3 Picasso - 75.9% first-time pass, 228 tests
• 2015 Citroen C3 Picasso - 78% first-time pass, 268 tests
• 2016 Citroen C3 Picasso - 78.1% first-time pass, 2,023 tests
• 2017 Citroen C3 Picasso - 80.2% first-time pass, 3,274 tests

Citroen C3 Picasso by fuel type

The Citroen C3 Picasso's two most-tested fuel types split by 4.4 points: diesel passes first time 76% of the time (4,270 tests) against 80.4% for petrol (2,307 tests).

• Diesel Citroen C3 Picasso - 76% first-time pass, 4,270 tests
• Petrol Citroen C3 Picasso - 80.4% first-time pass, 2,307 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

• Citroen Berlingo 1000 En-Prise Bluehdi - 77.4%
• Porsche 944 - 77.4%
• Suzuki Swift - 77.3%
• Citroen Dispatch 1200 En-Prise Bhdi Ss - 77.3%
• Mazda Mx-5 - 77.2%
• Mercedes-Benz Citan 109 Pure Cdi - 77.2%

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?

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate