2003 Nissan Micra: MOT pass rate and reliability

61.9% of 2003 Nissan Micras pass the MOT first time, measured across 9,306 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 79,377 miles.

How the 2003 compares

  • Against all Nissan Micras (72%, 246,117 tests): -10.1 points
  • Against all 2003 cars (64.7%): -2.8 points
  • National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%

Every Nissan Micra model year

Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2003 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Nissan Micra:

Year Pass rate Tests Avg mileage
1994 66.9% 242 73,139
1995 65.2% 293 74,264
1996 59.5% 509 70,771
1997 61.3% 671 72,470
1998 61.2% 1,277 72,233
1999 62.2% 2,125 70,910
2000 60.5% 2,678 68,440
2001 61.3% 4,138 67,689
2002 62.3% 7,136 68,249
2003 61.9% 9,306 79,377
2004 63% 10,345 83,241
2005 62.9% 14,840 86,297
2006 66.6% 17,098 87,488
2007 66.3% 12,951 82,185
2008 68.9% 14,086 81,325
2009 70.2% 15,498 77,399
2010 70.7% 15,576 74,618
2011 71.2% 12,589 65,904
2012 71.7% 11,472 61,518
2013 74.1% 11,495 55,475
2014 76.8% 14,036 49,524
2015 80.5% 12,957 44,802
2016 81.4% 10,699 37,341
2017 75.5% 12,639 41,099
2018 79.9% 9,981 37,685
2019 87% 8,600 28,729
2020 90.3% 5,245 22,747
2021 93.9% 6,672 17,717
2022 94.7% 282 16,824

What this means if you are buying a 2003 Micra

The 2003 is a weaker year for this model, passing 10.1 points less often than the Nissan Micra average. Some of that is simply age, so compare it against the 2003 figure for all cars above rather than against newer examples. 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 23-year-old car fails on

A 2003 car is 23 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 a shade above the middle of the range, still ordinary wear rather than a red flag, but worth checking against the service book for the car's age. On a 2003 Nissan Micra the average at test was 79,377 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 94.7%, and the weakest in our data is 1996 at 59.5%. That 35.2 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2003 car against a newer one tells you very little.

Nearby model years

All Nissan Micra MOT data · Every model