Nissan Micra: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Nissan Micra fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 5 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 247,437 individual Nissan Micra tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 71.7% first-time pass rate means roughly 28 in every 100 Nissan Micras 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 Micra tested had covered 61,938 miles and was built around 2010.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Nissan Micra 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. See how it stacks up against the Ford Fiesta.

Looking at a specific Nissan Micra 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 Micras actually sold for at UK salvage auction, from 9 real settled sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Nissan Micra

1. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 2% of tests (4.65x the national rate for this defect)
2. A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps, 2.3% of tests (3.55x the national rate for this defect)
3. 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, 2.2% of tests (2.71x the national rate for this defect)
4. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 1.9% of tests (2.5x the national rate for this defect)
5. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 4.1% of tests (2.33x the national rate for this defect)
6. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 8.1% of tests (2.2x the national rate for this defect)
7. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 2.8% of tests (2.03x the national rate for this defect)
8. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 2.8% of tests (1.72x the national rate for this defect)
9. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 2.7% of tests (1.62x the national rate for this defect)
10. A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 2.1% of tests (1.57x the national rate for this defect)

From 342,418 DVSA-tracked Nissan Micra tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.55% of these flagged Nissan Micra defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Nissan Micra 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 Micra year:

• 1994 Nissan Micra - 66.9% first-time pass, 242 tests
• 1995 Nissan Micra - 65.2% first-time pass, 293 tests
• 1996 Nissan Micra - 59.5% first-time pass, 509 tests
• 1997 Nissan Micra - 61.3% first-time pass, 671 tests
• 1998 Nissan Micra - 61.2% first-time pass, 1,277 tests
• 1999 Nissan Micra - 62.2% first-time pass, 2,125 tests
• 2000 Nissan Micra - 60.5% first-time pass, 2,678 tests
• 2001 Nissan Micra - 61.3% first-time pass, 4,138 tests
• 2002 Nissan Micra - 62.3% first-time pass, 7,136 tests
• 2003 Nissan Micra - 61.9% first-time pass, 9,306 tests
• 2004 Nissan Micra - 63% first-time pass, 10,345 tests
• 2005 Nissan Micra - 62.9% first-time pass, 14,840 tests
• 2006 Nissan Micra - 66.6% first-time pass, 17,098 tests
• 2007 Nissan Micra - 66.3% first-time pass, 12,951 tests
• 2008 Nissan Micra - 68.9% first-time pass, 14,086 tests
• 2009 Nissan Micra - 70.2% first-time pass, 15,498 tests
• 2010 Nissan Micra - 70.7% first-time pass, 15,576 tests
• 2011 Nissan Micra - 71.2% first-time pass, 12,589 tests
• 2012 Nissan Micra - 71.7% first-time pass, 11,472 tests
• 2013 Nissan Micra - 74.1% first-time pass, 11,495 tests
• 2014 Nissan Micra - 76.8% first-time pass, 14,036 tests
• 2015 Nissan Micra - 80.5% first-time pass, 12,957 tests
• 2016 Nissan Micra - 81.4% first-time pass, 10,699 tests
• 2017 Nissan Micra - 75.5% first-time pass, 12,639 tests
• 2018 Nissan Micra - 79.9% first-time pass, 9,981 tests
• 2019 Nissan Micra - 87% first-time pass, 8,600 tests
• 2020 Nissan Micra - 90.3% first-time pass, 5,245 tests
• 2021 Nissan Micra - 93.9% first-time pass, 6,672 tests
• 2022 Nissan Micra - 94.7% first-time pass, 282 tests

Nissan Micra by fuel type

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

• Petrol Nissan Micra - 72.2% first-time pass, 240,088 tests
• Diesel Nissan Micra - 67.5% first-time pass, 6,016 tests

Other Nissan models

• Nissan Qashqai - 72.7%
• Nissan Juke - 71.8%
• Nissan Note - 72.1%
• Nissan X-Trail - 73.5%
• Nissan Navara - 72.9%
• Nissan Leaf - 83.1%
• Nissan Nv200 - 65.1%
• Nissan Pulsar - 76%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Nissan Elgrand - 71.8%
• Nissan Cube - 71.8%
• Ford Fiesta - 71.7%
• Chrysler Crossfire - 71.7%
• Volvo 700 Series - 71.7%
• Fiat 500 - 71.6%

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