Citroen Ds3: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Citroen Ds3 fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 16.3 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 72,629 individual Citroen Ds3 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 60.4% first-time pass rate means roughly 40 in every 100 Citroen Ds3s 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 Ds3 tested had covered 79,684 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. On a Citroen Ds3 bought as a 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 Ds3 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 Ds3s actually sold for at UK salvage auction, from 5 real settled sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Citroen Ds3

1. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 8.7% of tests (7.73x the national rate for this defect)
2. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 5.4% of tests (5.71x the national rate for this defect)
3. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 8.2% of tests (4.97x the national rate for this defect)
4. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 3.7% of tests (4.85x the national rate for this defect)
5. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 2.5% of tests (4.28x 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, 3.2% of tests (3.54x the national rate for this defect)
7. A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps, 2% of tests (3.04x the national rate for this defect)
8. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 4% of tests (2.48x the national rate for this defect)
9. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 2.7% of tests (2.17x the national rate for this defect)
10. Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 2.1% of tests (2.13x the national rate for this defect)

From 108,030 DVSA-tracked Citroen Ds3 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.88% of these flagged Citroen Ds3 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Citroen Ds3 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 Ds3 year:

• 2010 Citroen Ds3 - 57.4% first-time pass, 3,913 tests
• 2011 Citroen Ds3 - 59.8% first-time pass, 9,086 tests
• 2012 Citroen Ds3 - 59.3% first-time pass, 14,377 tests
• 2013 Citroen Ds3 - 60.4% first-time pass, 17,951 tests
• 2014 Citroen Ds3 - 61.9% first-time pass, 18,004 tests
• 2015 Citroen Ds3 - 63.5% first-time pass, 8,492 tests
• 2016 Citroen Ds3 - 77.5% first-time pass, 236 tests

Citroen Ds3 by fuel type

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

• Petrol Citroen Ds3 - 63.4% first-time pass, 36,222 tests
• Diesel Citroen Ds3 - 58.2% first-time pass, 35,972 tests

Other Citroen models

• Citroen C3 - 70.4%
• Citroen Berlingo - 68.3%
• Citroen C1 - 75.1%
• Citroen C4 - 66%
• Citroen Dispatch - 66.2%
• Citroen Xsara - 58%
• Citroen C3 Aircross - 86.4%
• Citroen C4 Cactus - 79.2%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Renault Grand Scenic - 60.6%
• Volkswagen Lt - 60.6%
• Alfa Romeo GT - 60.5%
• Volvo V50 - 60.4%
• Ldv Maxus - 60.4%
• Alfa Romeo 159 - 60.1%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• Britain's most and least reliable cars: 33 million MOT tests analysed
• 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