Nissan Elgrand: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Nissan Elgrand fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 4.9 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 13,461 individual Nissan Elgrand tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 71.8% first-time pass rate means roughly 28 in every 100 Nissan Elgrands 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 Nissan Elgrand tested had covered 90,689 miles and was built around 2009.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Nissan Elgrand 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 Nissan Elgrand 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 Nissan Elgrands actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Nissan Elgrand

1. Front or rear fog lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 1.5% of tests (43.61x the national rate for this defect)
2. An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 2.9% of tests (8.51x the national rate for this defect)
3. Emissions levels exceed default limits, 1.2% of tests (4.1x the national rate for this defect)
4. A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 4.2% of tests (3.16x the national rate for this defect)
5. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 2% of tests (1.83x the national rate for this defect)
6. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 2.5% of tests (1.65x the national rate for this defect)
7. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 2% of tests (1.64x the national rate for this defect)
8. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 5.5% of tests (1.49x the national rate for this defect)
9. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 2.3% of tests (1.41x the national rate for this defect)
10. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 2.1% of tests (1.19x the national rate for this defect)

From 25,818 DVSA-tracked Nissan Elgrand tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 5.76% of these flagged Nissan Elgrand defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Nissan Elgrand 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 Nissan Elgrand year:

• 2002 Nissan Elgrand - 65.3% first-time pass, 447 tests
• 2003 Nissan Elgrand - 63.3% first-time pass, 562 tests
• 2004 Nissan Elgrand - 67.7% first-time pass, 844 tests
• 2005 Nissan Elgrand - 71.6% first-time pass, 1,380 tests
• 2006 Nissan Elgrand - 73.4% first-time pass, 1,166 tests
• 2007 Nissan Elgrand - 75.6% first-time pass, 1,537 tests
• 2008 Nissan Elgrand - 76.3% first-time pass, 1,492 tests
• 2009 Nissan Elgrand - 77.5% first-time pass, 663 tests
• 2010 Nissan Elgrand - 80.4% first-time pass, 756 tests
• 2011 Nissan Elgrand - 82.2% first-time pass, 460 tests
• 2012 Nissan Elgrand - 82.1% first-time pass, 301 tests
• 2013 Nissan Elgrand - 79.8% first-time pass, 242 tests
• 2014 Nissan Elgrand - 73.5% first-time pass, 211 tests
• 2015 Nissan Elgrand - 66.4% first-time pass, 327 tests
• 2016 Nissan Elgrand - 63.9% first-time pass, 410 tests
• 2017 Nissan Elgrand - 68% first-time pass, 484 tests
• 2018 Nissan Elgrand - 65.3% first-time pass, 375 tests
• 2019 Nissan Elgrand - 70.7% first-time pass, 417 tests
• 2020 Nissan Elgrand - 66.8% first-time pass, 458 tests
• 2021 Nissan Elgrand - 72.4% first-time pass, 410 tests

Nissan Elgrand by fuel type

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

• Petrol Nissan Elgrand - 72.8% first-time pass, 12,751 tests
• Diesel Nissan Elgrand - 61.5% first-time pass, 504 tests

Other Nissan models

• Nissan Qashqai - 72.7%
• Nissan Juke - 71.8%
• Nissan Micra - 71.7%
• Nissan Note - 72.1%
• Nissan X-Trail - 73.5%
• Nissan Navara - 72.9%
• Nissan Leaf - 83.1%
• Nissan Nv200 - 65.1%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Alfa Romeo Giulietta - 71.9%
• Abarth 500 - 71.9%
• Nissan Juke - 71.8%
• Nissan Cube - 71.8%
• Ford Fiesta - 71.7%
• Nissan Micra - 71.7%

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