Citroen C4 Picasso: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Citroen C4 Picasso passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 1.5 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 6,947 individual Citroen C4 Picasso tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 78.2% first-time pass rate means roughly 22 in every 100 Citroen C4 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 C4 Picasso tested had covered 56,247 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 C4 Picasso sits 1.5 points above the national average, ranked 1,515 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 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 C4 Picasso: £300 at UK salvage auction, from 13 ended listings, not independently confirmed sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Citroen C4 Picasso

1. 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)
2. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 1.3% of tests (1.68x the national rate for this defect)
3. A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps, 1.4% of tests (1.53x the national rate for this defect)
4. A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 2.6% of tests (1.4x the national rate for this defect)
5. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 3% of tests (1.38x the national rate for this defect)
6. A direction indicator lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 0.9% of tests (1.35x the national rate for this defect)
7. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 1.5% of tests (1.18x the national rate for this defect)
8. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 5.1% of tests
9. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 3.2% of tests
10. A tyre seriously damaged, 2.5% of tests

From 6,889 DVSA-tracked Citroen C4 Picasso tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 5.74% of these flagged Citroen C4 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 C4 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 C4 Picasso before it actually fails on it.

1. A shock absorber which has negligible damping effect, 0.9% of tests (2.71x the national rate for this advisory)
2. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 20.1% of tests (1.64x the national rate for this advisory)
3. Excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution., 1.1% of tests (1.35x the national rate for this advisory)
4. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 17.3% of tests (1.3x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
5. A brake hose ferrule excessively corroded, 1.7% of tests (1.3x the national rate for this advisory)
6. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 11.7% of tests (1.25x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
7. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 33.2% of tests (1.24x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
8. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 3.8% of tests (1.19x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
9. A tyre seriously damaged, 13.8% of tests, also fails
10. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 2.2% of tests

From 6,889 DVSA-tracked Citroen C4 Picasso tests, 2024.

Citroen C4 Picasso pass rate by model year

From its 2015 to its 2018 model year, the Citroen C4 Picasso's first-time pass rate has risen 7.8 points, from 76.5% to 84.3%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Citroen C4 Picasso year:

• 2014 Citroen C4 Picasso - 66.8% first-time pass, 289 tests
• 2015 Citroen C4 Picasso - 76.5% first-time pass, 315 tests
• 2016 Citroen C4 Picasso - 76.3% first-time pass, 1,679 tests
• 2017 Citroen C4 Picasso - 81.5% first-time pass, 3,014 tests
• 2018 Citroen C4 Picasso - 84.3% first-time pass, 1,152 tests

Citroen C4 Picasso by fuel type

The Citroen C4 Picasso's two most-tested fuel types split by 5.3 points: diesel passes first time 77.6% of the time (5,603 tests) against 82.9% for petrol (1,315 tests).

• Diesel Citroen C4 Picasso - 77.6% first-time pass, 5,603 tests
• Petrol Citroen C4 Picasso - 82.9% first-time pass, 1,315 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

• Jaguar Xj - 78.3%
• Jaguar Xjr - 78.3%
• Volkswagen Touareg - 78.2%
• Audi A3 - 78.1%
• Honda Insight - 78.1%
• MINI First - 78.1%

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