2003 Vauxhall Vivaro: MOT pass rate and reliability

54.4% of 2003 Vauxhall Vivaros pass the MOT first time, measured across 1,980 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 159,396 miles.

How the 2003 compares

  • Against all Vauxhall Vivaros (60.4%, 191,185 tests): -6 points
  • Against all 2003 cars (64.7%): -10.3 points
  • National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%

Every Vauxhall Vivaro model year

Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2003 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Vauxhall Vivaro:

Year Pass rate Tests Avg mileage
2002 54.3% 727 155,772
2003 54.4% 1,980 159,396
2004 55% 3,924 158,349
2005 55.3% 5,683 154,514
2006 52.8% 7,208 152,431
2007 53.9% 8,415 152,044
2008 54% 8,274 154,264
2009 53.6% 4,023 147,741
2010 51.4% 6,428 148,856
2011 52.9% 10,478 144,671
2012 53.5% 10,919 139,705
2013 56% 15,519 131,493
2014 57.5% 16,519 120,769
2015 62.1% 23,900 111,255
2016 64.5% 21,864 98,647
2017 66.4% 18,098 93,593
2018 71.9% 18,416 79,942
2019 75.2% 8,571 73,156

What this means if you are buying a 2003 Vivaro

The 2003 is a weaker year for this model, passing 6 points less often than the Vauxhall Vivaro average. Some of that is simply age, so compare it against the 2003 figure for all cars above rather than against newer examples. Check the exact car with the free MOT history checker before you buy, and run its VIN and mileage through our free VIN decoder and clocking check.

What a 23-year-old car fails on

A 2003 car is 23 years old now, and age drives the failure mix more than the badge does. Across all cars tested, these are the categories that actually cause failures:

  • Lights and electrical: 10.36% of all cars tested
  • Suspension: 8.65% of all cars tested
  • Tyres: 6.23% of all cars tested
  • Brakes: 6.1% of all cars tested
  • Visibility: wipers, washers, glass: 4.65% of all cars tested
  • Body, chassis and structure: 3.18% of all cars tested

That is very high mileage. Clutches, dual-mass flywheels and head gaskets have usually been through at least one repair by this point, so ask for evidence rather than assume the car is original everywhere. On a 2003 Vauxhall Vivaro the average at test was 159,396 miles, so treat anything far above that as a car that has worked harder than its peers, and anything far below as one worth checking for the faults that come from standing still.

The strongest year for this model is 2019 at 75.2%, and the weakest in our data is 2010 at 51.4%. That 23.8 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2003 car against a newer one tells you very little.

Nearby model years

All Vauxhall Vivaro MOT data · Every model