Vauxhall Meriva: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Vauxhall Meriva fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 7.8 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 91,976 individual Vauxhall Meriva tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 68.9% first-time pass rate means roughly 31 in every 100 Vauxhall Merivas 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 Meriva tested had covered 73,711 miles and was built around 2011.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Vauxhall Meriva sits 7.8 points below the national average, ranked 1,787 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 Vauxhall Meriva 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 the median recorded closing bid for a damaged Vauxhall Meriva: £300 at UK salvage auction, from 24 ended listings, not independently confirmed sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Vauxhall Meriva

1. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 8.6% of tests (3.75x the national rate for this defect)
2. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 3.6% of tests (3.37x the national rate for this defect)
3. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 2.3% of tests (2.29x the national rate for this defect)
4. Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction, 2.6% of tests (2.04x the national rate for this defect)
5. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 2.5% of tests (1.94x the national rate for this defect)
6. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 2.7% of tests (1.59x the national rate for this defect)
7. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 2.3% of tests (1.53x the national rate for this defect)
8. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 3.5% of tests (1.48x the national rate for this defect)
9. A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 2.7% of tests (1.47x the national rate for this defect)
10. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 3% of tests (1.38x the national rate for this defect)

From 91,905 DVSA-tracked Vauxhall Meriva tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.8% of these flagged Vauxhall Meriva defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Vauxhall Meriva

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 Vauxhall Meriva before it actually fails on it.

1. A stub axle swivel pin and/or bush excessively worn, 2.7% of tests (4.18x the national rate for this advisory)
2. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 9.5% of tests (3.33x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 16.1% of tests (2.6x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
4. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 14.5% of tests (2.6x the national rate for this advisory)
5. A brake hose ferrule excessively corroded, 3% of tests (2.33x the national rate for this advisory)
6. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 8% of tests (2.05x the national rate for this advisory)
7. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 8.4% of tests (1.79x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
8. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 8.9% of tests (1.72x the national rate for this advisory)
9. Number plate inscription missing or illegible, 4.2% of tests (1.58x the national rate for this advisory)
10. A tyre seriously damaged, 22% of tests (1.42x the national rate for this advisory)

From 91,905 DVSA-tracked Vauxhall Meriva tests, 2024.

Vauxhall Meriva pass rate by model year

From its 2003 to its 2017 model year, the Vauxhall Meriva's first-time pass rate has risen 24.6 points, from 56.5% to 81.1%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Vauxhall Meriva year:

• 2003 Vauxhall Meriva - 56.5% first-time pass, 356 tests
• 2004 Vauxhall Meriva - 56.8% first-time pass, 1,709 tests
• 2005 Vauxhall Meriva - 55.9% first-time pass, 2,360 tests
• 2006 Vauxhall Meriva - 55% first-time pass, 3,863 tests
• 2007 Vauxhall Meriva - 57.9% first-time pass, 4,640 tests
• 2008 Vauxhall Meriva - 57.4% first-time pass, 5,197 tests
• 2009 Vauxhall Meriva - 59.4% first-time pass, 5,287 tests
• 2010 Vauxhall Meriva - 65% first-time pass, 9,792 tests
• 2011 Vauxhall Meriva - 70.5% first-time pass, 14,621 tests
• 2012 Vauxhall Meriva - 73.2% first-time pass, 8,902 tests
• 2013 Vauxhall Meriva - 72.4% first-time pass, 7,800 tests
• 2014 Vauxhall Meriva - 76.8% first-time pass, 7,597 tests
• 2015 Vauxhall Meriva - 78% first-time pass, 8,280 tests
• 2016 Vauxhall Meriva - 80.1% first-time pass, 6,486 tests
• 2017 Vauxhall Meriva - 81.1% first-time pass, 4,469 tests

Vauxhall Meriva by fuel type

The Vauxhall Meriva's two most-tested fuel types split by 1 points: petrol passes first time 69.6% of the time (75,497 tests) against 68.6% for diesel (15,883 tests).

• Petrol Vauxhall Meriva - 69.6% first-time pass, 75,497 tests
• Diesel Vauxhall Meriva - 68.6% first-time pass, 15,883 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 Combo - 66.3%
• Vauxhall Adam - 74.6%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Chevrolet Cruze - 69%
• Mercedes-Benz C 320 - 69%
• Mercedes-Benz Vito 110 Pure Cdi - 69%
• Fiat Doblo - 68.9%
• Subaru Legacy - 68.8%
• Alfa Romeo Brera - 68.8%

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

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate