Rover 25: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Rover 25 fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 7.5 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 3,244 individual Rover 25 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 69.2% first-time pass rate means roughly 31 in every 100 Rover 25s 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 25 tested had covered 67,099 miles and was built around 2003.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Rover 25 sits 7.5 points below the national average, ranked 1,781 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 25 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 25s at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Rover 25

1. 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, 2.9% of tests (10.73x the national rate for this defect)
2. 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, 6.3% of tests (6.69x the national rate for this defect)
3. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 9.6% of tests (6.3x the national rate for this defect)
4. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 2.2% of tests (5.29x the national rate for this defect)
5. 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% of tests (3.78x the national rate for this defect)
6. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 3.5% of tests (3.44x the national rate for this defect)
7. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 2.9% of tests (2.79x the national rate for this defect)
8. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 3.5% of tests (1.86x the national rate for this defect)
9. Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 2.4% of tests (1.77x the national rate for this defect)
10. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 2.2% of tests (1.65x the national rate for this defect)

From 3,245 DVSA-tracked Rover 25 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 2.77% of these flagged Rover 25 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Rover 25

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 25 before it actually fails on it.

1. Power steering fluid leaking or system malfunctioning, 6.2% of tests (25.65x the national rate for this advisory)
2. 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, 11.7% of tests (7.69x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 6% of tests (4.81x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
4. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 7.3% of tests (3.67x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
5. A brake hose ferrule excessively corroded, 4.3% of tests (3.34x the national rate for this advisory)
6. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 9.2% of tests (3.24x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
7. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 11.9% of tests (2.51x the national rate for this advisory)
8. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 14.2% of tests (2.3x the national rate for this advisory)
9. Number plate inscription missing or illegible, 5.7% of tests (2.14x the national rate for this advisory)
10. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 11.7% of tests (2.1x the national rate for this advisory)

From 3,245 DVSA-tracked Rover 25 tests, 2024.

Rover 25 pass rate by model year

From its 2000 to its 2005 model year, the Rover 25's first-time pass rate has risen 1.8 points, from 69.6% to 71.4%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Rover 25 year:

• 2000 Rover 25 - 69.6% first-time pass, 378 tests
• 2001 Rover 25 - 70.4% first-time pass, 605 tests
• 2002 Rover 25 - 70.2% first-time pass, 583 tests
• 2003 Rover 25 - 70.4% first-time pass, 646 tests
• 2004 Rover 25 - 67.1% first-time pass, 565 tests
• 2005 Rover 25 - 71.4% first-time pass, 370 tests

Rover 25 by fuel type

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

• Petrol Rover 25 - 69.5% first-time pass, 3,002 tests
• Diesel Rover 25 - 72.5% first-time pass, 218 tests

Other Rover models

• Rover MINI - 73.7%
• Rover 75 - 62.6%
• Rover 45 - 62.1%
• Rover 216 - 70.7%
• Rover Metro - 70.4%
• Rover 214 - 67.9%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Saab 900 - 69.3%
• Renault Master - 69.2%
• Ssangyong Rexton - 69.2%
• Chrysler-Jeep 300 - 69.1%
• Volvo V70 - 69%
• Chevrolet Cruze - 69%

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?

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate