2003 Nissan Primera: MOT pass rate and reliability
64.4% of 2003 Nissan Primeras pass the MOT first time, measured across 396 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 94,821 miles.
How the 2003 compares
- Against all Nissan Primeras (64.4%, 3,224 tests): +0 points
- Against all 2003 cars (64.7%): -0.3 points
- National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%
Every Nissan Primera 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 Primera:
| Year | Pass rate | Tests | Avg mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 70.9% | 203 | 98,460 |
| 2002 | 59.8% | 323 | 92,508 |
| 2003 | 64.4% | 396 | 94,821 |
| 2004 | 65.5% | 481 | 98,855 |
| 2005 | 63.1% | 685 | 96,638 |
| 2006 | 63.5% | 485 | 92,393 |
What this means if you are buying a 2003 Primera
The 2003 sits close to the Nissan Primera average, so there is no strong model-year signal either way. Judge the individual car on its own history. 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 above average, the point where suspension bushes, drop links and exhaust corrosion start showing up as advisories before they become failures. On a 2003 Nissan Primera the average at test was 94,821 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 1998 at 70.9%, and the weakest in our data is 2002 at 59.8%. That 11.1 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2003 car against a newer one tells you very little.
Nearby model years
- 1998 Nissan Primera - 70.9%
- 2002 Nissan Primera - 59.8%
- 2004 Nissan Primera - 65.5%
- 2005 Nissan Primera - 63.1%
- 2006 Nissan Primera - 63.5%