1,321 tests in 2025
Chevrolet Trax reliability and MOT pass rate
69.2% passed first time. The 30.8% fail rate is 8.2 points worse than the all-car average, on a median example 12 years old with 83,602 miles.
Pass rate
69.2%
22.6% of all cars failed; 30.8% of these did.
Fixed on the day
5.5%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
83,602 mi
12 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 1 | — |
| 6-9 years | 6 | — |
| 10-13 years | 1,313 | 31% |
| 14+ years | 0 | — |
What the Trax 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.
- Suspension3 dangerous61.7%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment23.3%
- Brakes33 dangerous21.6%
- Steering5 dangerous21.6%
- Tyres86 dangerous20.9%
- Noise, emissions and leaks1 dangerous12.5%
- Visibility11.1%
- Body, chassis, structure2 dangerous7.9%
Is the Trax getting worse?
The fail rate rose 5.9 points to 30.8% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (7.4 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1,575 | 9 | 24.9% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 1,526 | 10 | 26.5% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 1,296 | 11 | 32.4% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 1,321 | 12 | 30.8% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Trax 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 Trax in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt97 tests
- 2Coil spring: fractured or broken84 tests
- 3Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play48 tests
- 4Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn47 tests
- 5Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect42 tests
- 6Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm37 tests
- 7Track rod end: ball joint dust cover excessively damaged or deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt34 tests
- 8Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick28 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Trax collects 2.85 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.
- 1Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine232 tests
- 2Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm222 tests
- 3Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure175 tests
- 4Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn164 tests
- 5Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened142 tests
- 6Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick131 tests
- 7Coil spring: corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened94 tests
- 8Exhaust system: has a major leak of exhaust gases82 tests
Questions
What is the Chevrolet Trax MOT pass rate?
69.2% of the 1,321 Chevrolet Trax first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 30.8% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 5.5% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Chevrolet Trax usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt", recorded on 97 failed tests, followed by "Coil spring: fractured or broken" and "Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play". By section, suspension appears in 61.7% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 23.3% of failures, brakes appears in 21.6% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 0%; at 10-13 years it was 31%. The median Chevrolet Trax tested in 2025 was 12 years old with 83,602 miles.
Is the Chevrolet Trax getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 5.9 points to 30.8% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (7.4 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
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 Trax trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.
DVSA has published 3 safety recalls naming the Chevrolet Trax: Chevrolet Trax recalls.
Other Chevrolet models
Checking a particular Trax?
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.