Dodge Caliber: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Dodge Caliber fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 22.2 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 880 individual Dodge Caliber tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 54.5% first-time pass rate means roughly 46 in every 100 Dodge Calibers 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 Dodge Caliber tested had covered 93,163 miles and was built around 2007.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Dodge Caliber 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 Dodge Caliber 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 Dodge Calibers actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Dodge Caliber

1. 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, 8.1% of tests (35.3x the national rate for this defect)
2. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 3.7% of tests (10.27x the national rate for this defect)
3. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 4.7% of tests (6.72x the national rate for this defect)
4. 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, 5.5% of tests (6.61x the national rate for this defect)
5. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 23.6% of tests (6.41x the national rate for this defect)
6. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 5.2% of tests (5.49x the national rate for this defect)
7. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 8.9% of tests (5.43x the national rate for this defect)
8. Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 5.1% of tests (5.15x the national rate for this defect)
9. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 4.5% of tests (5.07x the national rate for this defect)
10. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 4.2% of tests (3.44x the national rate for this defect)

From 1,366 DVSA-tracked Dodge Caliber tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 5.5% of these flagged Dodge Caliber defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Dodge Caliber 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 Dodge Caliber year:

• 2007 Dodge Caliber - 53.8% first-time pass, 253 tests
• 2008 Dodge Caliber - 54.8% first-time pass, 303 tests

Dodge Caliber by fuel type

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

• Petrol Dodge Caliber - 56.5% first-time pass, 626 tests
• Diesel Dodge Caliber - 53.2% first-time pass, 237 tests

Other Dodge models

• Dodge Ram - 84%
• Dodge Nitro - 63.7%
• Dodge Journey - 61.1%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Daewoo Matiz - 54.8%
• Citroen C8 - 54.7%
• Chevrolet Kalos - 54.5%
• Chrysler-Jeep Patriot - 54.4%
• Nissan Primastar - 54%
• Mazda Mpv - 53.3%

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