Vauxhall Combo: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Vauxhall Combo fails its first MOT more often than the average UK vehicle, by 10.4 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 91,718 individual Vauxhall Combo tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 66.3% first-time pass rate means roughly 34 in every 100 Vauxhall Combos 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 Combo tested had covered 95,053 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 Combo 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 Combo 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 Combos actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Vauxhall Combo

1. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 2.7% of tests (3.24x the national rate for this defect)
2. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 4.7% of tests (2.87x the national rate for this defect)
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, 2.1% of tests (2.54x the national rate for this defect)
4. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 3.5% of tests (2.52x the national rate for this defect)
5. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 2.3% of tests (2.48x the national rate for this defect)
6. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 2.1% of tests (2.33x the national rate for this defect)
7. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 2.8% of tests (2.28x the national rate for this defect)
8. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 2.7% of tests (2.23x the national rate for this defect)
9. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 3.9% of tests (2.2x the national rate for this defect)
10. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 6.4% of tests (1.73x the national rate for this defect)

From 133,420 DVSA-tracked Vauxhall Combo tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 5.3% of these flagged Vauxhall Combo defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Vauxhall Combo 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 Combo year:

• 2002 Vauxhall Combo - 55.4% first-time pass, 498 tests
• 2003 Vauxhall Combo - 53% first-time pass, 1,515 tests
• 2004 Vauxhall Combo - 54.4% first-time pass, 2,055 tests
• 2005 Vauxhall Combo - 55.6% first-time pass, 2,300 tests
• 2006 Vauxhall Combo - 54.5% first-time pass, 3,432 tests
• 2007 Vauxhall Combo - 56.1% first-time pass, 4,505 tests
• 2008 Vauxhall Combo - 56.1% first-time pass, 5,281 tests
• 2009 Vauxhall Combo - 55.8% first-time pass, 3,976 tests
• 2010 Vauxhall Combo - 62.5% first-time pass, 6,808 tests
• 2011 Vauxhall Combo - 65.7% first-time pass, 7,596 tests
• 2012 Vauxhall Combo - 58.4% first-time pass, 2,925 tests
• 2013 Vauxhall Combo - 62% first-time pass, 3,272 tests
• 2014 Vauxhall Combo - 64.4% first-time pass, 4,874 tests
• 2015 Vauxhall Combo - 65.4% first-time pass, 5,248 tests
• 2016 Vauxhall Combo - 67.2% first-time pass, 5,119 tests
• 2017 Vauxhall Combo - 69.1% first-time pass, 3,681 tests
• 2018 Vauxhall Combo - 75.8% first-time pass, 3,009 tests
• 2019 Vauxhall Combo - 80.9% first-time pass, 15,759 tests
• 2020 Vauxhall Combo - 78.7% first-time pass, 8,041 tests
• 2021 Vauxhall Combo - 81.7% first-time pass, 895 tests

Vauxhall Combo by fuel type

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

• Diesel Vauxhall Combo - 66.2% first-time pass, 87,522 tests
• Petrol Vauxhall Combo - 83.5% first-time pass, 3,453 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 Adam - 74.6%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Peugeot E7 - 66.5%
• Vauxhall Movano - 66.4%
• Alfa Romeo Gtv - 66.4%
• Renault Twingo - 66.3%
• Smart (Mcc) City Coupe - 66.3%
• Peugeot Premier - 66.3%

If this van is a salvage or write-off

• Britain's most and least reliable vans: 2.1 million MOT tests analysed
• 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