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. On a Citroen C3 Picasso bought as a 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 what damaged Citroen C3 Picassos actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

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, 4.5% of tests (4.06x the national rate for this defect)
2. Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 2.6% of tests (2.7x the national rate for this defect)
3. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 1.1% of tests (2.58x the national rate for this defect)
4. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 1.5% of tests (2.54x the national rate for this defect)
5. A tyre seriously damaged, 3.7% of tests (1.85x the national rate for this defect)
6. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 1.3% of tests (1.71x 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, 1.4% of tests (1.56x the national rate for this defect)
8. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 1.6% of tests (1.3x the national rate for this defect)
9. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 1.6% of tests (1.27x the national rate for this defect)
10. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 1.8% of tests

From 8,707 DVSA-tracked Citroen C3 Picasso tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.88% of these flagged Citroen C3 Picasso defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Citroen C3 Picasso 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 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

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

• 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

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate