Nissan X-Trail: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Nissan X-Trail fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 3.2 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 91,926 individual Nissan X-Trail tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 73.5% first-time pass rate means roughly 27 in every 100 Nissan X-Trails 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 X-Trail tested had covered 78,490 miles and was built around 2014.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Nissan X-Trail 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 X-Trail 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 X-Trails actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Nissan X-Trail

1. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 2.9% of tests (3.07x the national rate for this defect)
2. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 10.6% of tests (2.87x the national rate for this defect)
3. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 3.8% of tests (2.45x the national rate for this defect)
4. 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, 1.4% of tests (1.68x the national rate for this defect)
5. Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction, 1.4% of tests (1.46x the national rate for this defect)
6. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 1.5% of tests (1.38x the national rate for this defect)
7. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 1.1% of tests (1.28x the national rate for this defect)
8. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 2.4% of tests
9. A tyre seriously damaged, 1.6% of tests
10. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 1.4% of tests

From 139,349 DVSA-tracked Nissan X-Trail tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 5.17% of these flagged Nissan X-Trail defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Nissan X-Trail 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 X-Trail year:

• 2002 Nissan X-Trail - 59.9% first-time pass, 352 tests
• 2003 Nissan X-Trail - 57.4% first-time pass, 1,128 tests
• 2004 Nissan X-Trail - 57.9% first-time pass, 2,022 tests
• 2005 Nissan X-Trail - 57.6% first-time pass, 3,185 tests
• 2006 Nissan X-Trail - 56.1% first-time pass, 4,032 tests
• 2007 Nissan X-Trail - 56.7% first-time pass, 3,604 tests
• 2008 Nissan X-Trail - 56.2% first-time pass, 2,912 tests
• 2009 Nissan X-Trail - 56.2% first-time pass, 1,892 tests
• 2010 Nissan X-Trail - 56.7% first-time pass, 1,402 tests
• 2011 Nissan X-Trail - 58.4% first-time pass, 2,063 tests
• 2012 Nissan X-Trail - 63.6% first-time pass, 1,662 tests
• 2013 Nissan X-Trail - 64.7% first-time pass, 1,574 tests
• 2014 Nissan X-Trail - 67.6% first-time pass, 3,834 tests
• 2015 Nissan X-Trail - 71.1% first-time pass, 8,169 tests
• 2016 Nissan X-Trail - 76.4% first-time pass, 14,959 tests
• 2017 Nissan X-Trail - 81.6% first-time pass, 17,118 tests
• 2018 Nissan X-Trail - 85.6% first-time pass, 8,967 tests
• 2019 Nissan X-Trail - 87.1% first-time pass, 5,632 tests
• 2020 Nissan X-Trail - 90.2% first-time pass, 4,728 tests
• 2021 Nissan X-Trail - 90.4% first-time pass, 2,105 tests

Nissan X-Trail by fuel type

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

• Diesel Nissan X-Trail - 72.7% first-time pass, 75,975 tests
• Petrol Nissan X-Trail - 79.9% first-time pass, 15,377 tests

Other Nissan models

• Nissan Qashqai - 72.7%
• Nissan Juke - 71.8%
• Nissan Micra - 71.7%
• Nissan Note - 72.1%
• Nissan Navara - 72.9%
• Nissan Leaf - 83.1%
• Nissan Nv200 - 65.1%
• Nissan Pulsar - 76%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Fiat Motor Caravan - 73.6%
• Vauxhall Insignia - 73.5%
• Volkswagen Caddy - 73.5%
• Subaru Forester - 73.5%
• Volkswagen Unclassified - 73.5%
• Honda Civic - 73.4%

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