Vauxhall Ampera: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Vauxhall Ampera fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 4.2 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 1,187 individual Vauxhall Ampera tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 72.5% first-time pass rate means roughly 28 in every 100 Vauxhall Amperas 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 Vauxhall Ampera tested had covered 95,088 miles and was built around 2013.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Vauxhall Ampera 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 Vauxhall Ampera 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 Vauxhall Amperas actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Vauxhall Ampera

1. A direction indicator lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 3.3% of tests (6.72x the national rate for this defect)
2. A tyre pressure monitoring system malfunctioning or obviously inoperative, 1.1% of tests (5.71x the national rate for this defect)
3. Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction, 4.6% of tests (4.96x the national rate for this defect)
4. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 4.8% of tests (4.3x the national rate for this defect)
5. Excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution., 0.8% of tests (3.03x the national rate for this defect)
6. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 2.4% of tests (1.99x the national rate for this defect)
7. A tyre seriously damaged, 3.7% of tests (1.85x the national rate for this defect)
8. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 1% of tests (1.7x the national rate for this defect)
9. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 2.7% of tests (1.63x the national rate for this defect)
10. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 1.4% of tests (1.59x the national rate for this defect)

From 1,827 DVSA-tracked Vauxhall Ampera tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.54% of these flagged Vauxhall Ampera defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Vauxhall Ampera 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 Vauxhall Ampera year:

• 2012 Vauxhall Ampera - 70.3% first-time pass, 394 tests
• 2013 Vauxhall Ampera - 80.4% first-time pass, 224 tests
• 2014 Vauxhall Ampera - 71.6% first-time pass, 461 tests

Vauxhall Ampera by fuel type

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

• Hybrid Vauxhall Ampera - 73.9% first-time pass, 947 tests
• Electric Vauxhall Ampera - 70.8% first-time pass, 202 tests

Other Vauxhall models

• Vauxhall Corsa - 70%
• Vauxhall Astra - 71.9%
• Vauxhall Mokka - 75.6%
• Vauxhall Zafira - 68.7%
• Vauxhall Insignia - 73.5%
• Vauxhall Vivaro - 59.7%
• Vauxhall Meriva - 68.9%
• Vauxhall Combo - 66.3%

Models with a similar pass rate

• DS Ds4 - 72.6%
• Toyota Landcruiser Amazon - 72.6%
• Hyundai I800 - 72.5%
• MG Tf - 72.4%
• Toyota Hi-Ace - 72.3%
• Lexus Rx300 - 72.3%

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