Nissan Primastar: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Nissan Primastar fails its first MOT more often than the average UK vehicle, by 22.7 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 8,920 individual Nissan Primastar tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 54% first-time pass rate means roughly 46 in every 100 Nissan Primastars 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 Primastar tested had covered 144,142 miles and was built around 2008.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Nissan Primastar sits 22.7 points below the national average, ranked 2,003 of 2,005 models. On one bought as 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 Primastar 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 recorded closing bids for damaged Nissan Primastars at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Nissan Primastar

1. Parking brake efficiency less than 50% of the required value, 3.8% of tests (10.3x the national rate for this defect)
2. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 13% of tests (9.93x the national rate for this defect)
3. Parking brake inoperative on one side, 4.7% of tests (7.87x the national rate for this defect)
4. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 7.7% of tests (7.18x the national rate for this defect)
5. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 8% of tests (6.13x the national rate for this defect)
6. A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps, 4.6% of tests (5.1x the national rate for this defect)
7. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 22.8% of tests (4.53x 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, 8.2% of tests (3.7x the national rate for this defect)
9. Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 4.7% of tests (3.46x the national rate for this defect)
10. 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, 3.3% of tests (3.46x the national rate for this defect)

From 9,722 DVSA-tracked Nissan Primastar tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.57% of these flagged Nissan Primastar defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Nissan Primastar

An advisory doesn't fail the car - the tester flags it as worth watching, but it still passes. A different list from the failures above: what testers are noting on a Nissan Primastar before it actually fails on it.

1. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 9% of tests (6.73x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
2. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 27% of tests (4.36x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 19.8% of tests (3.56x the national rate for this advisory)
4. Product on the lens or light source which obviously reduces light intensity or changes emitted colour to other than white or yellow, 3.8% of tests (3.41x the national rate for this advisory)
5. 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% of tests (3.3x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
6. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 4.1% of tests (3.27x the national rate for this advisory)
7. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 8.2% of tests (2.09x the national rate for this advisory)
8. Number plate inscription missing or illegible, 5.4% of tests (2.02x the national rate for this advisory)
9. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 26.8% of tests (2x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
10. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 3.8% of tests (1.93x the national rate for this advisory)

From 9,722 DVSA-tracked Nissan Primastar tests, 2024.

Nissan Primastar pass rate by model year

From its 2003 to its 2014 model year, the Nissan Primastar's first-time pass rate has fallen 1.1 points, from 54.7% to 53.6%, an unusual pattern where even its newest years fail more than its oldest. First-time pass rate for each Nissan Primastar year:

• 2003 Nissan Primastar - 54.7% first-time pass, 470 tests
• 2004 Nissan Primastar - 53.7% first-time pass, 722 tests
• 2005 Nissan Primastar - 54.9% first-time pass, 968 tests
• 2006 Nissan Primastar - 57.4% first-time pass, 1,057 tests
• 2007 Nissan Primastar - 53.8% first-time pass, 1,317 tests
• 2008 Nissan Primastar - 55.1% first-time pass, 894 tests
• 2009 Nissan Primastar - 57.5% first-time pass, 760 tests
• 2010 Nissan Primastar - 48.7% first-time pass, 431 tests
• 2011 Nissan Primastar - 52.4% first-time pass, 947 tests
• 2012 Nissan Primastar - 51.8% first-time pass, 629 tests
• 2013 Nissan Primastar - 53.4% first-time pass, 637 tests
• 2014 Nissan Primastar - 53.6% first-time pass, 769 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

• Chevrolet Kalos - 54.5%
• Dodge Caliber - 54.5%
• Chrysler-Jeep Patriot - 54.4%
• Mazda Mpv - 53.3%
• Mitsubishi Space Star - 50.8%

If this van is a salvage or write-off

• Britain's most and least reliable vans: 2.2 million MOT tests analysed
• What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
• What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
• Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences
• Do you need an HPI check on a car you know is a write-off?

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate