Nissan Qashqai: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Nissan Qashqai fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 4 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 560,580 individual Nissan Qashqai tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 72.7% first-time pass rate means roughly 27 in every 100 Nissan Qashqais 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 Qashqai tested had covered 72,588 miles and was built around 2015.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Nissan Qashqai 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. See how it stacks up against the Ford Fiesta.

Looking at a specific Nissan Qashqai 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 Qashqais actually sold for at UK salvage auction, from 27 real settled sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Nissan Qashqai

1. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 4.7% of tests (4.93x the national rate for this defect)
2. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 1.1% of tests (4.1x the national rate for this defect)
3. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 3% of tests (2.65x the national rate for this defect)
4. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 8.9% of tests (2.42x the national rate for this defect)
5. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 3.6% of tests (2.32x the national rate for this defect)
6. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 2.8% of tests (1.74x the national rate for this defect)
7. A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 2% of tests (1.48x the national rate for this defect)
8. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 1.7% of tests (1.38x the national rate for this defect)
9. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 2.9% of tests (1.25x the national rate for this defect)
10. Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction, 1.1% of tests (1.23x the national rate for this defect)

From 805,341 DVSA-tracked Nissan Qashqai tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 5.73% of these flagged Nissan Qashqai defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Nissan Qashqai 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 Qashqai year:

• 2007 Nissan Qashqai - 53.6% first-time pass, 9,393 tests
• 2008 Nissan Qashqai - 51.9% first-time pass, 12,794 tests
• 2009 Nissan Qashqai - 51% first-time pass, 22,151 tests
• 2010 Nissan Qashqai - 52.9% first-time pass, 30,306 tests
• 2011 Nissan Qashqai - 55.2% first-time pass, 32,777 tests
• 2012 Nissan Qashqai - 57.7% first-time pass, 40,093 tests
• 2013 Nissan Qashqai - 61.8% first-time pass, 45,330 tests
• 2014 Nissan Qashqai - 71.5% first-time pass, 44,360 tests
• 2015 Nissan Qashqai - 75.5% first-time pass, 56,049 tests
• 2016 Nissan Qashqai - 79% first-time pass, 58,251 tests
• 2017 Nissan Qashqai - 82.7% first-time pass, 59,720 tests
• 2018 Nissan Qashqai - 85.2% first-time pass, 47,222 tests
• 2019 Nissan Qashqai - 88.5% first-time pass, 50,152 tests
• 2020 Nissan Qashqai - 92.5% first-time pass, 31,798 tests
• 2021 Nissan Qashqai - 92.9% first-time pass, 16,902 tests

Nissan Qashqai by fuel type

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

• Petrol Nissan Qashqai - 77.5% first-time pass, 280,692 tests
• Diesel Nissan Qashqai - 68.6% first-time pass, 276,605 tests

Other Nissan models

• 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%
• Nissan Pulsar - 76%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Smart (Mcc) Fortwo Cabriolet - 72.8%
• Chrysler 300 C - 72.8%
• Fiat Camper - 72.8%
• Mercedes-Benz Vito - 72.7%
• Volkswagen Touran - 72.7%
• Peugeot 205 - 72.7%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• Does fuel type affect MOT pass rate? Petrol beats diesel in 83% of models
• 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