Rover 216: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Rover 216 fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 6 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 728 individual Rover 216 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 70.7% first-time pass rate means roughly 29 in every 100 Rover 216s 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 216 tested had covered 82,327 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 216 sits 6 points below the national average, ranked 1,741 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 216 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 216s at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Rover 216

1. Service brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 4.1% of tests (19.29x the national rate for this defect)
2. Emissions levels exceed default limits, 6.7% of tests (19x the national rate for this defect)
3. Emissions levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limits, 4.8% of tests (17.66x the national rate for this defect)
4. 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% of tests (11.3x the national rate for this defect)
5. Emissions test unable to be completed, 3% of tests (7.34x the national rate for this defect)
6. 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, 6.6% of tests (6.97x the national rate for this defect)
7. 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., 2.5% of tests (4.73x the national rate for this defect)
8. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 4.5% of tests (4.36x the national rate for this defect)
9. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 5.5% of tests (3.58x the national rate for this defect)
10. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 3.6% of tests (3.52x the national rate for this defect)

From 729 DVSA-tracked Rover 216 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 2.53% of these flagged Rover 216 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Rover 216

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 216 before it actually fails on it.

1. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 6.2% of tests (4.96x the national rate for this advisory)
2. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 8% of tests (3.98x 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, 5.8% of tests (3.79x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
4. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 9.1% of tests (3.18x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
5. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 15.4% of tests (2.76x the national rate for this advisory)
6. Number plate inscription missing or illegible, 6.7% of tests (2.53x the national rate for this advisory)
7. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 3.2% of tests (2.37x the national rate for this advisory)
8. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 14.1% of tests (2.28x the national rate for this advisory)
9. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 25.4% of tests (1.9x the national rate for this advisory)
10. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 5.9% of tests (1.25x the national rate for this advisory)

From 729 DVSA-tracked Rover 216 tests, 2024.

Other Rover models

• Rover MINI - 73.7%
• Rover 75 - 62.6%
• Rover 25 - 69.2%
• Rover 45 - 62.1%
• Rover Metro - 70.4%
• Rover 214 - 67.9%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Mercedes-Benz Viano - 70.7%
• Mazda Rx-8 - 70.7%
• Volkswagen Motor Caravan - 70.7%
• Land Rover Freelander - 70.6%
• Hyundai I30 - 70.5%
• Citroen C3 - 70.4%

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

Embed this data

Run a site about the Rover 216? Embed the real DVSA pass-rate badge free, linked back to this page.

<a href="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/mot/rover-216"><img src="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/badge/rover-216.svg" width="340" height="92" alt="Rover 216 MOT Pass Rate: 70.7% - Salvage Prophet"></a>

Run a garage or parts site? Embed the Rover 216's top real failure reason instead, linked back here.

<a href="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/mot/rover-216"><img src="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/badge/failure/rover-216.svg" width="340" height="106" alt="Rover 216 most common MOT failure: Service brake efficiency below minimum requirement (4.1% of tests) - Salvage Prophet"></a>

All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate