1,206 tests in 2025
DS Ds5 reliability and MOT pass rate
74.3% passed first time. The 25.7% fail rate is 3.1 points worse than the all-car average, on a median example 9 years old with 72,035 miles.
Pass rate
74.3%
22.6% of all cars failed; 25.7% of these did.
Fixed on the day
3.6%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
72,035 mi
9 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 0 | — |
| 6-9 years | 839 | 22.9% |
| 10-13 years | 367 | 32.2% |
| 14+ years | 0 | — |
What the Ds5 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.
- Body, chassis, structure4 dangerous32.9%
- Tyres99 dangerous31.6%
- Suspension5 dangerous24.2%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment23.2%
- Brakes41 dangerous19%
- Noise, emissions and leaks1 dangerous15.5%
- Visibility8.4%
- Steering2 dangerous6.8%
Is the Ds5 getting worse?
The fail rate rose 7.7 points to 25.7% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (7.5 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1,375 | 6 | 18% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 1,378 | 7 | 20.9% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 1,183 | 8 | 22.3% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 1,205 | 9 | 25.7% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Ds5 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 Ds5 in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt92 tests
- 2Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm47 tests
- 3Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction30 tests
- 4Coil spring: fractured or broken27 tests
- 5Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick25 tests
- 6Condition: has ply or cords exposed20 tests
- 7Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn19 tests
- 8Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords19 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Ds5 collects 2.23 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 1.6mm253 tests
- 2Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened123 tests
- 3Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick110 tests
- 4Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine62 tests
- 5Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn57 tests
- 6Tread depth: tread pattern not visible over the whole tread area when minimum depth required is 1.0mm36 tests
- 7Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure34 tests
- 8Brake discs: significantly and obviously worn29 tests
Questions
What is the DS Ds5 MOT pass rate?
74.3% of the 1,206 DS Ds5 first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 25.7% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 3.6% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a DS Ds5 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 92 failed tests, followed by "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" and "Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction". By section, body, chassis, structure appears in 32.9% of failures, tyres appears in 31.6% of failures, suspension appears in 24.2% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was n/a%; at 10-13 years it was 32.2%. The median DS Ds5 tested in 2025 was 9 years old with 72,035 miles.
Is the DS Ds5 getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 7.7 points to 25.7% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (7.5 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 Ds5 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 DS models
Checking a particular Ds5?
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.