150,840 tests in 2025
Citroen C1 reliability and MOT pass rate
75.3% passed first time. The 24.7% fail rate is 2.1 points worse than the all-car average, on a median example 12 years old with 60,608 miles.
Pass rate
75.3%
22.6% of all cars failed; 24.7% of these did.
Fixed on the day
6.5%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
60,608 mi
12 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 7,732 | 8.7% |
| 6-9 years | 36,510 | 15.5% |
| 10-13 years | 54,163 | 22.8% |
| 14+ years | 52,434 | 35.3% |
What the C1 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.
- Brakes4,281 dangerous39%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment65 dangerous36.4%
- Suspension1,010 dangerous28.4%
- Tyres10,259 dangerous24.8%
- Noise, emissions and leaks10 dangerous18.3%
- Body, chassis, structure296 dangerous16%
- Visibility10 dangerous12.1%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems4 dangerous3.6%
Is the C1 getting worse?
The fail rate rose 3.8 points to 24.9% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 168,434 | 9 | 21.1% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 168,049 | 10 | 22.6% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 143,131 | — | 24.5% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 149,440 | — | 24.9% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical C1 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 C1 in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Service brake performance: excessively binding4,981 tests
- 2Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm3,602 tests
- 3Position lamp: not working3,595 tests
- 4Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded2,823 tests
- 5Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits2,820 tests
- 6Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect2,715 tests
- 7Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively2,643 tests
- 8Exhaust system: has a major leak of exhaust gases2,503 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical C1 collects 3.09 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.
- 1Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm23,286 tests
- 2Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure22,858 tests
- 3Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded19,911 tests
- 4Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened16,480 tests
- 5Linkage pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn13,849 tests
- 6Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn12,748 tests
- 7Sub-frame: corroded and seriously weakened9,371 tests
- 8Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick7,851 tests
Questions
What is the Citroen C1 MOT pass rate?
75.3% of the 150,840 Citroen C1 first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 24.7% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 6.5% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Citroen C1 usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Service brake performance: excessively binding", recorded on 4,981 failed tests, followed by "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" and "Position lamp: not working". By section, brakes appears in 39% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 36.4% of failures, suspension appears in 28.4% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 8.7%; at 14+ years it was 35.3%. The median Citroen C1 tested in 2025 was 12 years old with 60,608 miles.
Is the Citroen C1 getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 3.8 points to 24.9% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
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 C1 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 12 safety recalls naming the Citroen C1: Citroen C1 recalls.
Other Citroen models
Checking a particular C1?
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.