2021 Citroen C3: MOT pass rate and reliability

94.3% of 2021 Citroen C3s pass the MOT first time, measured across 849 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 23,181 miles.

How the 2021 compares

  • Against all Citroen C3s (70.8%, 183,530 tests): +23.5 points
  • Against all 2021 cars (90%): +4.3 points
  • National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%

Every Citroen C3 model year

Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2021 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Citroen C3:

Year Pass rate Tests Avg mileage
2002 58.9% 920 91,627
2003 57.5% 2,608 85,463
2004 59% 3,264 83,554
2005 58.9% 4,037 83,594
2006 61.2% 4,734 81,408
2007 60.5% 5,335 81,826
2008 59.8% 4,924 81,181
2009 59.8% 9,530 89,299
2010 59.9% 18,379 91,235
2011 61.8% 15,471 86,030
2012 65.2% 15,042 78,089
2013 68% 13,563 71,946
2014 72.1% 13,898 63,008
2015 74.9% 12,260 57,093
2016 76.9% 8,845 49,157
2017 80.5% 15,657 48,163
2018 84.7% 15,945 42,217
2019 88.6% 13,422 34,479
2020 91% 4,837 28,037
2021 94.3% 849 23,181

What this means if you are buying a 2021 C3

The 2021 is one of the stronger years for this model, passing 23.5 points more often than the Citroen C3 average. That is a point in its favour, though condition and service history still matter more than the model year. Check the exact car with the free MOT history checker before you buy, and run its VIN and mileage through our free VIN decoder and clocking check.

What a 5-year-old car fails on

A 2021 car is 5 years old now, and age drives the failure mix more than the badge does. Across all cars tested, these are the categories that actually cause failures:

  • Lights and electrical: 10.36% of all cars tested
  • Suspension: 8.65% of all cars tested
  • Tyres: 6.23% of all cars tested
  • Brakes: 6.1% of all cars tested
  • Visibility: wipers, washers, glass: 4.65% of all cars tested
  • Body, chassis and structure: 3.18% of all cars tested

That is low mileage, which usually means light urban use. Short journeys are harder on batteries, brakes and exhausts than motorway miles, so do not assume low miles means low wear. On a 2021 Citroen C3 the average at test was 23,181 miles, so treat anything far above that as a car that has worked harder than its peers, and anything far below as one worth checking for the faults that come from standing still.

2021 is the strongest year on record for this model at 94.3%, ahead of every other year we hold data for.

Nearby model years

All Citroen C3 MOT data · Every model