Citroen C4 Cactus: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Citroen C4 Cactus passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 2.5 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 21,500 individual Citroen C4 Cactus tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 79.2% first-time pass rate means roughly 21 in every 100 Citroen C4 Cactus 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 C4 Cactus tested had covered 46,096 miles and was built around 2018.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Citroen C4 Cactus sits 2.5 points above the national average, ranked 1,473 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 C4 Cactus 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 Cactus: £700 at UK salvage auction, from 5 ended listings, not independently confirmed sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Citroen C4 Cactus

1. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 4.6% of tests (2.44x the national rate for this defect)
2. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 3.3% of tests (2.14x the national rate for this defect)
3. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 1.9% of tests (1.84x the national rate for this defect)
4. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 1.3% of tests (1.69x the national rate for this defect)
5. A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps, 1.5% of tests (1.62x 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, 1.9% of tests (1.55x the national rate for this defect)
7. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 2.1% of tests (1.22x the national rate for this defect)
8. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 3.8% of tests (1.18x the national rate for this defect)
9. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 2.7% of tests
10. A tyre seriously damaged, 2.2% of tests

From 21,432 DVSA-tracked Citroen C4 Cactus tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 5.41% of these flagged Citroen C4 Cactus 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 Cactus

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 Cactus before it actually fails on it.

1. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 10.1% of tests (3.54x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
2. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 6% of tests (1.88x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. A tyre seriously damaged, 21% of tests (1.36x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
4. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 14.3% of tests (1.17x the national rate for this advisory)
5. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 25.7% of tests, also fails
6. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 9.7% of tests, also fails
7. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 6.8% of tests
8. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 2.4% of tests
9. Number plate inscription missing or illegible, 1.2% of tests
10. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 1.2% of tests

From 21,432 DVSA-tracked Citroen C4 Cactus tests, 2024.

Citroen C4 Cactus pass rate by model year

From its 2015 to its 2021 model year, the Citroen C4 Cactus's first-time pass rate has risen 27.5 points, from 65.6% to 93.1%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Citroen C4 Cactus year:

• 2015 Citroen C4 Cactus - 65.6% first-time pass, 393 tests
• 2016 Citroen C4 Cactus - 71.8% first-time pass, 3,513 tests
• 2017 Citroen C4 Cactus - 77.8% first-time pass, 5,854 tests
• 2018 Citroen C4 Cactus - 80.7% first-time pass, 5,387 tests
• 2019 Citroen C4 Cactus - 82.6% first-time pass, 3,958 tests
• 2020 Citroen C4 Cactus - 91.1% first-time pass, 1,902 tests
• 2021 Citroen C4 Cactus - 93.1% first-time pass, 331 tests

Citroen C4 Cactus by fuel type

The Citroen C4 Cactus's two most-tested fuel types split by 5.4 points: petrol passes first time 81% of the time (15,820 tests) against 75.6% for diesel (5,567 tests).

• Petrol Citroen C4 Cactus - 81% first-time pass, 15,820 tests
• Diesel Citroen C4 Cactus - 75.6% first-time pass, 5,567 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

• Vauxhall Cascada - 79.3%
• Mercedes-Benz E - 79.2%
• Fiat 500x - 79.2%
• Subaru Outback - 79.2%
• Fiat Hymer - 79.2%
• Honda Unclassified - 79.1%

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