Vauxhall Nova: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Vauxhall Nova passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 6.8 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 877 individual Vauxhall Nova tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 83.5% first-time pass rate means roughly 17 in every 100 Vauxhall Novas presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is better than average, so a well-kept example is a reasonably safe used buy. The average Vauxhall Nova tested had covered 53,954 miles and was built around 1989.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Vauxhall Nova bought as a repairable salvage, the mechanical side is less likely to spring surprises, so your repair estimate should hold up reasonably well.

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 Nova 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 Novas actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Vauxhall Nova

1. Emissions levels exceed default limits, 2.2% of tests (7.52x 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, 4.4% of tests (5.24x the national rate for this defect)
3. 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, 1.2% of tests (5.24x 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., 1.9% of tests (4.88x the national rate for this defect)
5. Audible warning inoperative, 1% of tests (4.88x the national rate for this defect)
6. Service brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 0.7% of tests (4.32x the national rate for this defect)
7. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 0.9% of tests (2.49x the national rate for this defect)
8. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 4% of tests (2.3x the national rate for this defect)
9. An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 0.7% of tests (2.17x the national rate for this defect)
10. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 1.4% of tests (1.8x the national rate for this defect)

From 2,321 DVSA-tracked Vauxhall Nova tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.96% of these flagged Vauxhall Nova defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

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

• Ford Granada - 83.6%
• Audi Q3 - 83.5%
• Land Rover Discovery Sport R-Dyn S D A - 83.5%
• Land Rover Discovery Spt Rdyn S+ D Mhev A - 83.4%
• Land Rover Discovery Sport S D Auto - 83.4%
• Ford Transit Custom - 83.3%

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