Skip to content
My MOT CheckerSources

1,176 tests in 2025

Caterham Unclassified reliability and MOT pass rate

93.3% passed first time. The 6.7% fail rate is 15.9 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 8 years old with 7,683 miles.

MOT pass rates / Caterham

Pass rate

93.3%

22.6% of all cars failed; 6.7% of these did.

Fixed on the day

2.2%

Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.

Median at test

7,683 mi

8 years old.

Fail rate by age

Age at testTestsFail rate
3-5 years2728.1%
6-9 years5016%
10-13 years186—
14+ years2175.1%

What the Unclassified fails on

Share of failed tests with at least one fail item in each DVSA inspection section. A test can fail in several sections at once.

  1. Noise, emissions and leaks40.5%
  2. Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment2 dangerous39.2%
  3. Suspension3 dangerous21.5%
  4. Brakes4 dangerous15.2%
  5. Steering11.4%
  6. Visibility8.9%
  7. Tyres11 dangerous7.6%
  8. Identification of the vehicle3.8%

Is the Unclassified getting worse?

The fail rate fell 4 points to 6.7% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 2 years. Ageing alone would predict about 4.7 points, so it is holding up better than the fleet average for its age.

YearTestsMedian ageFail rate All cars
20221,013610.7%22.5%
20231,12979.2%22.8%
2024974712.2%23.2%
20251,17686.7%22.6%

Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Unclassified at its test that year, and it is the number to watch: across the whole fleet each extra year of age adds roughly 1.9 points to the fail rate, so a model whose age and fail rate rise together is simply getting older.

The exact defects that fail it

Every failure item DVSA recorded against a Unclassified in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.

  1. 1Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits12 tests
  2. 2Reversing lamps: inoperative8 tests
  3. 3Steering rack: gaiter missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt8 tests
  4. 4Catalyst emissions: carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits7 tests
  5. 5Catalyst emissions: carbon monoxide content at idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits7 tests
  6. 6Ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt6 tests
  7. 7Catalyst emissions: carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds default limits6 tests
  8. 8Catalyst emissions: hydrocarbon content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits6 tests

What wears out first

Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Unclassified collects 1.84 of them per test, and these are the ones that come up most. Treat it as the running-repairs list for the next year or two.

  1. 1Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm39 tests
  2. 2Wheel bearings: has excessive play19 tests
  3. 3Linkage ball joints: ball joint excessively worn17 tests
  4. 4Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn15 tests
  5. 5Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine8 tests
  6. 6Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn7 tests
  7. 7Transmission oil leaks: leaking excessively from transmission7 tests
  8. 8Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened6 tests

Questions

What is the Caterham Unclassified MOT pass rate?

93.3% of the 1,176 Caterham Unclassified first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 6.7% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 2.2% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.

What does a Caterham Unclassified usually fail on?

The single most common failure is "Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits", recorded on 12 failed tests, followed by "Reversing lamps: inoperative" and "Steering rack: gaiter missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt". By section, noise, emissions and leaks appears in 40.5% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 39.2% of failures, suspension appears in 21.5% of failures.

Does age change the odds?

Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 8.1%; at 14+ years it was 5.1%. The median Caterham Unclassified tested in 2025 was 8 years old with 7,683 miles.

Is the Caterham Unclassified getting less reliable?

The fail rate fell 4 points to 6.7% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 2 years. Ageing alone would predict about 4.7 points, so it is holding up better than the fleet average for its age.

First-attempt class 4 tests, 2025, from DVSA’s anonymised MOT data (OGL v3, retrieved 2026-09-12). DVSA records newer cars trim by trim; this page adds every Unclassified trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.

Other Caterham models

Checking a particular Unclassified?

The odds above are the model. The car in front of you has its own record: every test, every advisory, the mileage at each one.

Due a test? Find an approved MOT station near you.