Vauxhall Signum: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Vauxhall Signum fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 14.9 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 1,169 individual Vauxhall Signum tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 61.8% first-time pass rate means roughly 38 in every 100 Vauxhall Signums 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 Signum tested had covered 121,910 miles and was built around 2006.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Vauxhall Signum sits 14.9 points below the national average, ranked 1,923 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 Signum 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 Vauxhall Signums at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Vauxhall Signum

1. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 6.2% of tests (5.76x the national rate for this defect)
2. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 4.7% of tests (4.65x the national rate for this defect)
3. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 5.2% of tests (3.41x the national rate for this defect)
4. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 7.4% of tests (3.23x the national rate for this defect)
5. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 7.3% of tests (3.09x the national rate for this defect)
6. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 3.8% of tests (2.89x the national rate for this defect)
7. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 13% of tests (2.59x the national rate for this defect)
8. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 2.4% of tests (2.31x the national rate for this defect)
9. A tyre seriously damaged, 5.5% of tests (1.96x the national rate for this defect)
10. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 3.2% of tests (1.66x the national rate for this defect)

From 1,169 DVSA-tracked Vauxhall Signum tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.31% of these flagged Vauxhall Signum defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Vauxhall Signum

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 Signum before it actually fails on it.

1. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 16.9% of tests (5.95x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
2. A brake hose ferrule excessively corroded, 7.3% of tests (5.71x the national rate for this advisory)
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, 6.7% of tests (4.4x the national rate for this advisory)
4. Product on the lens or light source which obviously reduces light intensity or changes emitted colour to other than white or yellow, 4.8% of tests (4.33x the national rate for this advisory)
5. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 24.9% of tests (4.02x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
6. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 16.8% of tests (3.55x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
7. Number plate inscription missing or illegible, 8.7% of tests (3.29x the national rate for this advisory)
8. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 16.6% of tests (3.21x the national rate for this advisory)
9. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 15.8% of tests (2.85x the national rate for this advisory)
10. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 24.6% of tests (1.84x the national rate for this advisory), also fails

From 1,169 DVSA-tracked Vauxhall Signum tests, 2024.

Vauxhall Signum 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 Signum year:

• 2005 Vauxhall Signum - 64.3% first-time pass, 210 tests
• 2006 Vauxhall Signum - 66.3% first-time pass, 436 tests
• 2007 Vauxhall Signum - 59.4% first-time pass, 271 tests

Vauxhall Signum by fuel type

The Vauxhall Signum's two most-tested fuel types split by 0.3 points: diesel passes first time 62.2% of the time (704 tests) against 62.5% for petrol (453 tests).

• Diesel Vauxhall Signum - 62.2% first-time pass, 704 tests
• Petrol Vauxhall Signum - 62.5% first-time pass, 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 Combo - 66.3%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Vauxhall Astravan - 61.8%
• Isuzu Rodeo - 61.8%
• Mitsubishi Shogun Sport - 61.8%
• Alfa Romeo 147 - 61.7%
• Renault Clio - 61.6%
• Renault Trafic - 61.6%

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