24,554 tests in 2025
Citroen C5 reliability and MOT pass rate
82.3% passed first time. The 17.7% fail rate is 4.9 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 5 years old with 42,246 miles.
Pass rate
82.3%
22.6% of all cars failed; 17.7% of these did.
Fixed on the day
4.6%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
42,246 mi
5 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 11,960 | 10.8% |
| 6-9 years | 6,237 | 14.7% |
| 10-13 years | 996 | 29% |
| 14+ years | 4,934 | 36.8% |
What the C5 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.
- Tyres1,501 dangerous32.8%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment17 dangerous30.4%
- Brakes903 dangerous28%
- Suspension73 dangerous26%
- Body, chassis, structure24 dangerous21.1%
- Visibility10.6%
- Noise, emissions and leaks5 dangerous9.4%
- Steering10 dangerous7.1%
Is the C5 getting worse?
The fail rate fell 5.4 points to 20.4% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 18,942 | 12 | 25.8% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 21,799 | 4 | 21.1% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 18,175 | — | 21% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 18,636 | — | 20.4% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical C5 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 C5 in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt783 tests
- 2Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick601 tests
- 3Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm554 tests
- 4Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords404 tests
- 5Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn396 tests
- 6Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps368 tests
- 7Condition: has ply or cords exposed366 tests
- 8Position lamp: not working310 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical C5 collects 2.51 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 1.6mm4,506 tests
- 2Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened2,709 tests
- 3Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick2,560 tests
- 4Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure1,637 tests
- 5Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine1,068 tests
- 6Non-component advisories: Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt804 tests
- 7Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn711 tests
- 8Tread depth: tread pattern not visible over the whole tread area when minimum depth required is 1.0mm657 tests
Questions
What is the Citroen C5 MOT pass rate?
82.3% of the 24,554 Citroen C5 first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 17.7% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 4.6% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Citroen C5 usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt", recorded on 783 failed tests, followed by "Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick" and "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm". By section, tyres appears in 32.8% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 30.4% of failures, brakes appears in 28% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 10.8%; at 14+ years it was 36.8%. The median Citroen C5 tested in 2025 was 5 years old with 42,246 miles.
Is the Citroen C5 getting less reliable?
The fail rate fell 5.4 points to 20.4% 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 C5 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 24 safety recalls naming the Citroen C5: Citroen C5 recalls.
Other Citroen models
Checking a particular C5?
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.