Nissan Primera: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Nissan Primera fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 12.9 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 3,253 individual Nissan Primera tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 63.8% first-time pass rate means roughly 36 in every 100 Nissan Primeras 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 Primera tested had covered 94,243 miles and was built around 2003.

What this means at salvage auction

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

Most common MOT failures on a Nissan Primera

1. 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, 7.1% of tests (8.6x the national rate for this defect)
2. An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction, 2.4% of tests (7.85x the national rate for this defect)
3. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 2.7% of tests (6.2x the national rate for this defect)
4. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 2.2% of tests (5.98x the national rate for this defect)
5. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 3.2% of tests (4.2x the national rate for this defect)
6. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 3% of tests (3.9x the national rate for this defect)
7. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 6.4% of tests (3.63x the national rate for this defect)
8. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 3.2% of tests (3.26x 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, 3% of tests (3.08x the national rate for this defect)
10. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 2.8% of tests (2.5x the national rate for this defect)

From 5,431 DVSA-tracked Nissan Primera tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.21% of these flagged Nissan Primera defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Nissan Primera 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 Primera year:

• 1998 Nissan Primera - 70.9% first-time pass, 203 tests
• 2002 Nissan Primera - 59.8% first-time pass, 323 tests
• 2003 Nissan Primera - 64.4% first-time pass, 396 tests
• 2004 Nissan Primera - 65.5% first-time pass, 481 tests
• 2005 Nissan Primera - 63.1% first-time pass, 685 tests
• 2006 Nissan Primera - 63.5% first-time pass, 485 tests

Nissan Primera by fuel type

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

• Petrol Nissan Primera - 64.5% first-time pass, 2,951 tests
• Diesel Nissan Primera - 63.7% first-time pass, 273 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

• Nissan Almera - 64.1%
• Mitsubishi Delica - 64%
• Toyota Previa - 63.8%
• Honda Fr-V - 63.7%
• Dodge Nitro - 63.7%
• Vauxhall Antara - 63.6%

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