Daihatsu Copen: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Daihatsu Copen fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 3.1 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 1,290 individual Daihatsu Copen tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 73.6% first-time pass rate means roughly 26 in every 100 Daihatsu Copens 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 Daihatsu Copen tested had covered 59,924 miles and was built around 2006.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Daihatsu Copen 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 Daihatsu Copen 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 Daihatsu Copens actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Daihatsu Copen

1. The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, 14.7% of tests (17.71x the national rate for this defect)
2. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 2.9% of tests (7.92x the national rate for this defect)
3. Body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point, 1.5% of tests (7.31x the national rate for this defect)
4. The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any seat belt anchorage (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, 1.6% of tests (6.82x the national rate for this defect)
5. Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer, 1.5% of tests (3.84x the national rate for this defect)
6. Emissions test unable to be completed, 1% of tests (3.32x the national rate for this defect)
7. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 2.7% of tests (3.23x the national rate for this defect)
8. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 2% of tests (2.69x the national rate for this defect)
9. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 1.7% of tests (2.26x the national rate for this defect)
10. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 1.4% of tests (1.58x the national rate for this defect)

From 1,911 DVSA-tracked Daihatsu Copen tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.01% of these flagged Daihatsu Copen defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Daihatsu Copen 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 Daihatsu Copen year:

• 2004 Daihatsu Copen - 66% first-time pass, 259 tests
• 2007 Daihatsu Copen - 76.2% first-time pass, 231 tests
• 2008 Daihatsu Copen - 80.7% first-time pass, 264 tests

Other Daihatsu models

• Daihatsu Sirion - 66.8%
• Daihatsu Terios - 64.3%
• Daihatsu Fourtrak - 65.8%
• Daihatsu Charade - 64.7%
• Daihatsu Hijet - 63.3%
• Daihatsu Materia - 73%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Volkswagen Scirocco - 73.6%
• Mercedes-Benz A 200 - 73.6%
• Mercedes-Benz R-Class - 73.6%
• Fiat Motor Caravan - 73.6%
• Vauxhall Insignia - 73.5%
• Volkswagen Caddy - 73.5%

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

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate