Rover 214: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Rover 214 fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 8.8 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 626 individual Rover 214 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 67.9% first-time pass rate means roughly 32 in every 100 Rover 214s 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 Rover 214 tested had covered 72,995 miles and was built around 1995.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Rover 214 sits 8.8 points below the national average, ranked 1,810 of 2,005 models. On one bought as 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 Rover 214 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 recorded closing bids for damaged Rover 214s at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Rover 214

1. Emissions levels exceed default limits, 7.3% of tests (20.77x the national rate for this defect)
2. Emissions levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limits, 4.8% of tests (17.63x the national rate for this defect)
3. The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any seat belt anchorage (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, 3.5% of tests (13.16x 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, 7.8% of tests (8.29x the national rate for this defect)
5. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 3.4% of tests (8.12x the national rate for this defect)
6. Brakes imbalance across an axle such that the braking effort from any wheel is less than 70% of the maximum effort recorded from the other wheel on the same axle., 3.5% of tests (6.73x the national rate for this defect)
7. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 4.6% of tests (3.02x the national rate for this defect)
8. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 2.9% of tests (2.84x the national rate for this defect)
9. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 4.2% of tests (2.18x the national rate for this defect)
10. A tyre seriously damaged, 3.5% of tests (1.26x the national rate for this defect)

From 626 DVSA-tracked Rover 214 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 2.36% of these flagged Rover 214 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Rover 214

An advisory doesn't fail the car - the tester flags it as worth watching, but it still passes. A different list from the failures above: what testers are noting on a Rover 214 before it actually fails on it.

1. Power steering fluid leaking or system malfunctioning, 5% of tests (20.51x the national rate for this advisory)
2. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 6.7% of tests (5.39x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. 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% of tests (4.63x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
4. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 18.1% of tests (3.25x the national rate for this advisory)
5. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 6.2% of tests (3.12x the national rate for this advisory)
6. Number plate inscription missing or illegible, 8% of tests (3.01x the national rate for this advisory)
7. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 7.5% of tests (2.64x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
8. A tyre seriously damaged, 23.5% of tests (1.52x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
9. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 17.9% of tests (1.34x the national rate for this advisory)
10. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 4.8% of tests (1.22x the national rate for this advisory)

From 626 DVSA-tracked Rover 214 tests, 2024.

Other Rover models

• Rover MINI - 73.7%
• Rover 75 - 62.6%
• Rover 25 - 69.2%
• Rover 45 - 62.1%
• Rover 216 - 70.7%
• Rover Metro - 70.4%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Vauxhall Omega - 68%
• Isuzu D-Max Utah D/C Intercooler Td - 68%
• Hyundai Iload - 67.9%
• Iveco Daily - 67.8%
• Vauxhall Agila - 67.7%
• Volvo 240 - 67.7%

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
• Do you need an HPI check on a car you know is a write-off?

Embed this data

Run a site about the Rover 214? Embed the real DVSA pass-rate badge free, linked back to this page.

<a href="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/mot/rover-214"><img src="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/badge/rover-214.svg" width="340" height="92" alt="Rover 214 MOT Pass Rate: 67.9% - Salvage Prophet"></a>

Run a garage or parts site? Embed the Rover 214's top real failure reason instead, linked back here.

<a href="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/mot/rover-214"><img src="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/badge/failure/rover-214.svg" width="340" height="106" alt="Rover 214 most common MOT failure: Emissions levels exceed default limits (7.3% of tests) - Salvage Prophet"></a>

All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate