Citroen C5 MOT pass rate and common failures
In 2025, 76.0% of Citroen C5 MOT tests were a first-time pass, across 23,001 tests in Great Britain. For all cars it was 71.5%.
Compared with cars of the same age
Older cars fail more often, so a model that’s mostly a few years old will look better than one that’s mostly 12. These figures compare like with like.
At 3–5 years
83.6%
All cars: 86.1% (2.5 points worse). 14,852 tests.
At 6–10 years
76.3%
All cars: 76.1% (0.2 points better). 2,149 tests.
At 11 years and over
56.9%
All cars: 61.3% (4.4 points worse). 5,952 tests.
Pass rate by age
Figures by age, with typical mileage
| Age (years) | Tests | First-time pass | All cars | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 3,451 | 89.1% | 87.8% | 28,750 miles |
| 4 | 4,979 | 84.6% | 86.4% | 33,750 miles |
| 5 | 6,422 | 79.9% | 84.5% | 41,250 miles |
| 6 | 1,786 | 78.2% | 81.9% | 46,250 miles |
| 9 | 158 | 69.6% | 73.1% | 76,250 miles |
| 10 | 205 | 64.9% | 70.0% | 81,250 miles |
| 11 | 278 | 64.7% | 66.9% | 91,250 miles |
| 12 | 321 | 62.3% | 64.4% | 103,750 miles |
| 13 | 411 | 59.1% | 62.1% | 111,250 miles |
| 14 | 722 | 59.6% | 60.2% | 116,250 miles |
| 15 | 1,173 | 54.2% | 58.6% | 116,250 miles |
| 16 | 1,127 | 51.8% | 57.5% | 118,750 miles |
| 17 | 523 | 57.2% | 57.2% | 116,250 miles |
| 18 | 304 | 59.5% | 57.0% | 116,250 miles |
| 19 | 256 | 57.4% | 57.2% | 113,750 miles |
| 20+ | 837 | 58.2% | 61.4% | 111,250 miles |
Typical mileage is the median reading at the test, to the nearest 2,500 miles.
What fails most often
The share of Citroen C5 MOT tests that failed on at least one item in each area, against all cars. A test can fail on several areas at once.
| Area | C5 | All cars |
|---|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 14.8% | 16.6% |
| Tyres | 8.6% | 8.4% |
| Brakes | 8.4% | 10.2% |
| Suspension | 7.7% | 13.7% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 5.0% | 4.2% |
| Visibility | 3.3% | 5.2% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 2.2% | 4.0% |
| Steering | 1.8% | 2.5% |
Most common reasons for failing
- Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt failed 4.2% of tests
- Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps failed 3.7% of tests · what this means
- Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm failed 3.3% of tests
- Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick failed 3.3% of tests · what this means
- Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn failed 2.5% of tests · what this means
- Position lamp: not working failed 2.2% of tests · what this means
- Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords failed 1.9% of tests
- Condition: has ply or cords exposed failed 1.9% of tests
- Headlamp aim: too low failed 1.6% of tests · what this means
- Stop lamp: not working failed 1.6% of tests · what this means
Checking a particular C5?
See its own MOT history, mileage record and advisories in plain English. Free, no sign-up.
About these figures
- They cover every C5 version DVSA records under this name (engines, trims and generations together), on its first MOT test of each visit. A “pass with rectification” (fixed within an hour) counts as a fail, as in DVSA’s own statistics.
- Cars under three years old are left out, because the few tested that young are mostly taxis.
- Fuel mix of the cars tested: diesel 53.8%, petrol 41.2%, hybrid electric (clean) 5.0%.
- A pass rate describes the model, not any one car. How a car has been looked after matters more.
Download these figures (CSV) · Other Citroen models · All makes
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data for 2025. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Our own analysis; not produced or endorsed by DVSA.