Skoda Felicia: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Skoda Felicia fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 14.4 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 958 individual Skoda Felicia tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 62.3% first-time pass rate means roughly 38 in every 100 Skoda Felicias 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 Skoda Felicia tested had covered 79,170 miles and was built around 1999.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Skoda Felicia sits 14.4 points below the national average, ranked 1,909 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 Skoda Felicia 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 Skoda Felicias at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Skoda Felicia

1. Emissions levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limits, 4.5% of tests (16.49x 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, 14.1% of tests (14.91x the national rate for this defect)
3. Emissions levels exceed default limits, 4.3% of tests (12.08x the national rate for this defect)
4. 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., 5.4% of tests (10.38x the national rate for this defect)
5. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 4.3% of tests (10.34x the national rate for this defect)
6. Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer, 3.3% of tests (6.54x the national rate for this defect)
7. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 6.5% of tests (6.39x the national rate for this defect)
8. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 3.6% of tests (6.13x the national rate for this defect)
9. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 5.3% of tests (4.97x the national rate for this defect)
10. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 7.1% of tests (4.63x the national rate for this defect)

From 959 DVSA-tracked Skoda Felicia tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 2.75% of these flagged Skoda Felicia defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Skoda Felicia

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 Skoda Felicia before it actually fails on it.

1. A wheel bearing with excessive play, 16.3% of tests (25.07x the national rate for this advisory)
2. A flexible brake hose excessively damaged, deteriorated, chafed, twisted or stretched, 10.8% of tests (19.35x the national rate for this advisory)
3. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 9.8% of tests (7.88x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
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, 11.5% of tests (7.56x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
5. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 46% of tests (7.43x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
6. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 7.1% of tests (5.18x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
7. A brake hose ferrule excessively corroded, 5.9% of tests (4.67x the national rate for this advisory)
8. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 13% of tests (4.58x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
9. Number plate inscription missing or illegible, 11.4% of tests (4.29x 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, 19.5% of tests (3.51x the national rate for this advisory)

From 959 DVSA-tracked Skoda Felicia tests, 2024.

Skoda Felicia 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 Skoda Felicia year:

• 1999 Skoda Felicia - 60.1% first-time pass, 311 tests
• 2000 Skoda Felicia - 63.2% first-time pass, 296 tests

Skoda Felicia by fuel type

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

• Petrol Skoda Felicia - 61.2% first-time pass, 729 tests
• Diesel Skoda Felicia - 69.6% first-time pass, 217 tests

Other Skoda models

• Skoda Fabia - 75.3%
• Skoda Octavia - 78.9%
• Skoda Yeti - 80.3%
• Skoda Superb - 80%
• Skoda Citigo - 84.7%
• Skoda Karoq - 91.3%
• Skoda Kodiaq - 89.7%
• Skoda Rapid - 77.9%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Renault Scenic - 62.3%
• Mitsubishi L200 Double Cab - 62.3%
• Mazda Unclassified - 62.3%
• Audi A2 - 62.2%
• Hyundai Getz - 62.1%
• Fiat Grande Punto - 62.1%

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