Diesel Nissan Primera: MOT pass rate

63.7% of diesel Nissan Primeras pass the MOT first time, measured across 273 DVSA tests on that fuel type alone. Average mileage at test was 121,650.

Diesel against the other Nissan Primera versions

Fuel Pass rate Tests
Petrol 64.5% 2,951
Diesel 63.7% 273
All Nissan Primera64.4%3,224

Why the fuel type changes the number

Diesels carry DPFs, EGR valves and stricter smoke limits, so emissions and exhaust faults account for failures petrol cars never see.

On the Nissan Primera specifically, petrol is the strongest at 64.5%, and this diesel version sits 0.7 points below the 64.4% model average.

What it means if you are buying one

There is little to choose between fuel types on this model, so decide on running costs and mileage rather than MOT record. Check the exact car, decode the VIN and check the mileage before you bid.

Mileage is part of the answer

The average diesel Nissan Primera had covered 121,650 miles at test, against 92,474 for the petrol. That is high mileage, so timing belts, clutches, suspension bushes and corrosion are the items worth budgeting for rather than the MOT itself.

Fuel type and mileage are tangled together: diesels are usually bought by higher-mileage drivers, so some of any gap between fuels is the miles rather than the engine. The per-year figures on the Nissan Primera page separate age from fuel if you want to isolate one.

Other Nissan Primera fuel types

All Nissan Primera MOT data · Every model