Citroen Ds5: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Citroen Ds5 fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 11 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 4,268 individual Citroen Ds5 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 65.7% first-time pass rate means roughly 34 in every 100 Citroen Ds5s 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 Ds5 tested had covered 96,947 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 Ds5 sits 11 points below the national average, ranked 1,857 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 Ds5 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 recorded closing bids for damaged Citroen Ds5s at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Citroen Ds5

1. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 7.3% of tests (4.76x the national rate for this defect)
2. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 7.4% of tests (3.25x 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, 2.8% of tests (3.18x the national rate for this defect)
4. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 3.7% of tests (2.86x the national rate for this defect)
5. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 11.9% of tests (2.37x the national rate for this defect)
6. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 5.3% of tests (2.27x the national rate for this defect)
7. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 6.5% of tests (2.03x the national rate for this defect)
8. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 2.3% of tests (1.73x the national rate for this defect)
9. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 3.5% of tests (1.64x the national rate for this defect)
10. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 2.4% of tests (1.41x the national rate for this defect)

From 4,263 DVSA-tracked Citroen Ds5 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 6.9% of these flagged Citroen Ds5 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Citroen Ds5

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 Ds5 before it actually fails on it.

1. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 2.5% of tests (1.85x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
2. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 20.8% of tests (1.56x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 39.6% of tests (1.48x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
4. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 16.4% of tests (1.34x the national rate for this advisory)
5. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 12.2% of tests (1.31x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
6. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 7% of tests (1.25x the national rate for this advisory)
7. Excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution., 1% of tests (1.19x the national rate for this advisory)
8. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 2.3% of tests (1.17x the national rate for this advisory)
9. A tyre seriously damaged, 8.6% of tests
10. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 3.6% of tests

From 4,263 DVSA-tracked Citroen Ds5 tests, 2024.

Citroen Ds5 pass rate by model year

From its 2012 to its 2015 model year, the Citroen Ds5's first-time pass rate has risen 8.2 points, from 64.5% to 72.7%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Citroen Ds5 year:

• 2012 Citroen Ds5 - 64.5% first-time pass, 1,054 tests
• 2013 Citroen Ds5 - 63.6% first-time pass, 1,741 tests
• 2014 Citroen Ds5 - 69.3% first-time pass, 1,040 tests
• 2015 Citroen Ds5 - 72.7% first-time pass, 395 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

• Daihatsu Fourtrak - 65.8%
• Alfa Romeo 156 - 65.8%
• Volkswagen Lupo - 65.7%
• Volkswagen Bora - 65.6%
• Hyundai Veloster - 65.6%
• Mazda B Series - 65.5%

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