2021 Nissan Leaf: MOT pass rate and reliability

93.1% of 2021 Nissan Leafs pass the MOT first time, measured across 7,412 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 24,442 miles.

How the 2021 compares

  • Against all Nissan Leafs (83.4%, 43,042 tests): +9.7 points
  • Against all 2021 cars (90%): +3.1 points
  • National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%

Every Nissan Leaf model year

Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2021 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Nissan Leaf:

Year Pass rate Tests Avg mileage
2011 69.2% 442 62,691
2012 67.8% 469 60,920
2013 63.3% 1,239 70,143
2014 65.6% 3,036 65,981
2015 70.4% 3,983 58,914
2016 75.8% 4,019 59,211
2017 82.2% 4,990 50,790
2018 87.2% 5,050 51,393
2019 89.2% 4,914 42,685
2020 91.4% 7,127 33,479
2021 93.1% 7,412 24,442
2022 96.6% 324 23,792

What this means if you are buying a 2021 Leaf

The 2021 is one of the stronger years for this model, passing 9.7 points more often than the Nissan Leaf average. That is a point in its favour, though condition and service history still matter more than the model year. Check the exact car with the free MOT history checker before you buy, and run its VIN and mileage through our free VIN decoder and clocking check.

What a 5-year-old car fails on

A 2021 car is 5 years old now, and age drives the failure mix more than the badge does. Across all cars tested, these are the categories that actually cause failures:

  • Lights and electrical: 10.36% of all cars tested
  • Suspension: 8.65% of all cars tested
  • Tyres: 6.23% of all cars tested
  • Brakes: 6.1% of all cars tested
  • Visibility: wipers, washers, glass: 4.65% of all cars tested
  • Body, chassis and structure: 3.18% of all cars tested

That is low mileage, which usually means light urban use. Short journeys are harder on batteries, brakes and exhausts than motorway miles, so do not assume low miles means low wear. On a 2021 Nissan Leaf the average at test was 24,442 miles, so treat anything far above that as a car that has worked harder than its peers, and anything far below as one worth checking for the faults that come from standing still.

The strongest year for this model is 2022 at 96.6%, and the weakest in our data is 2013 at 63.3%. That 33.3 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2021 car against a newer one tells you very little.

Nearby model years

All Nissan Leaf MOT data · Every model