Citroen C4: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Citroen C4 fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 10.7 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 129,327 individual Citroen C4 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 66% first-time pass rate means roughly 34 in every 100 Citroen C4s 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 C4 tested had covered 83,951 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 C4 sits 10.7 points below the national average, ranked 1,849 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. Or compare it against another model.

Looking at a specific Citroen C4 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 C4: £525 at UK salvage auction, from 11 ended listings, not independently confirmed sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Citroen C4

1. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 7.4% of tests (4.81x the national rate for this defect)
2. A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps, 2.9% of tests (3.29x the national rate for this defect)
3. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 3.5% of tests (2.71x 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, 3.3% of tests (2.4x the national rate for this defect)
5. A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 4.3% of tests (2.34x the national rate for this defect)
6. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 2.4% of tests (1.95x the national rate for this defect)
7. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 3.9% of tests (1.8x the national rate for this defect)
8. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 4.1% of tests (1.77x the national rate for this defect)
9. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 2.9% of tests (1.71x the national rate for this defect)
10. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 5.2% of tests (1.64x the national rate for this defect)

From 129,373 DVSA-tracked Citroen C4 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 5.89% of these flagged Citroen C4 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Citroen C4

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 C4 before it actually fails on it.

1. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 2.6% of tests (1.86x the national rate for this advisory)
2. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 2.3% of tests (1.72x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 20.6% of tests (1.68x the national rate for this advisory)
4. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 5% of tests (1.57x the national rate for this advisory)
5. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 3% of tests (1.51x the national rate for this advisory)
6. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 19.8% of tests (1.48x the national rate for this advisory)
7. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 36.7% of tests (1.38x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
8. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 3.9% of tests (1.38x the national rate for this advisory)
9. A brake hose ferrule excessively corroded, 1.7% of tests (1.35x the national rate for this advisory)
10. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 11.6% of tests (1.24x the national rate for this advisory), also fails

From 129,373 DVSA-tracked Citroen C4 tests, 2024.

Citroen C4 pass rate by model year

From its 2005 to its 2019 model year, the Citroen C4's first-time pass rate has risen 20.8 points, from 63% to 83.8%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Citroen C4 year:

• 2005 Citroen C4 - 63% first-time pass, 922 tests
• 2006 Citroen C4 - 59.9% first-time pass, 1,809 tests
• 2007 Citroen C4 - 59.5% first-time pass, 5,505 tests
• 2008 Citroen C4 - 57% first-time pass, 7,135 tests
• 2009 Citroen C4 - 58.2% first-time pass, 5,107 tests
• 2010 Citroen C4 - 58% first-time pass, 6,088 tests
• 2011 Citroen C4 - 62.6% first-time pass, 6,991 tests
• 2012 Citroen C4 - 63.6% first-time pass, 8,424 tests
• 2013 Citroen C4 - 63.1% first-time pass, 12,121 tests
• 2014 Citroen C4 - 64.5% first-time pass, 20,597 tests
• 2015 Citroen C4 - 69.6% first-time pass, 27,553 tests
• 2016 Citroen C4 - 73.1% first-time pass, 17,438 tests
• 2017 Citroen C4 - 80.8% first-time pass, 991 tests
• 2018 Citroen C4 - 82.2% first-time pass, 2,751 tests
• 2019 Citroen C4 - 83.8% first-time pass, 4,790 tests

Citroen C4 by fuel type

The Citroen C4's two most-tested fuel types split by 3.7 points: diesel passes first time 65.7% of the time (101,823 tests) against 69.4% for petrol (26,669 tests).

• Diesel Citroen C4 - 65.7% first-time pass, 101,823 tests
• Petrol Citroen C4 - 69.4% first-time pass, 26,669 tests

Other Citroen models

• Citroen C3 - 70.4%
• Citroen Berlingo - 68.3%
• Citroen C1 - 75.1%
• 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

• Peugeot Premier - 66.3%
• Citroen Dispatch - 66.2%
• Smart (Mcc) City Cabriolet - 66.1%
• SEAT Altea - 65.9%
• Jaguar S-Type - 65.9%
• Renault Megane Scenic - 65.9%

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

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate