3,877 tests in 2025
DS Ds7 reliability and MOT pass rate
85% passed first time. The 15% fail rate is 7.6 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 6 years old with 45,839 miles.
Pass rate
85%
22.6% of all cars failed; 15% of these did.
Fixed on the day
2%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
45,839 mi
6 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 1,639 | 11.8% |
| 6-9 years | 2,231 | 17.4% |
| 10-13 years | 0 | — |
| 14+ years | 1 | — |
What the Ds7 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.
- Tyres238 dangerous37.6%
- Brakes139 dangerous22.6%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment18.5%
- Suspension15 dangerous15.6%
- Visibility10.1%
- Body, chassis, structure7 dangerous8.2%
- Noise, emissions and leaks7%
- Steering4 dangerous5.7%
Is the Ds7 getting worse?
The fail rate rose 3.2 points to 16.2% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (4.2 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1,507 | 3 | 13% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 1,692 | 4 | 13.2% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 1,532 | 5 | 16.1% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 1,685 | 6 | 16.2% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Ds7 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 Ds7 in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm126 tests
- 2Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick92 tests
- 3Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords48 tests
- 4Position lamp: not working47 tests
- 5Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt34 tests
- 6Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn29 tests
- 7Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively28 tests
- 8Daytime running lamps: not working27 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Ds7 collects 2.22 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 1.6mm707 tests
- 2Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick447 tests
- 3Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened390 tests
- 4Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure131 tests
- 5Non-component advisories: Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt129 tests
- 6Tread depth: tread pattern not visible over the whole tread area when minimum depth required is 1.0mm107 tests
- 7Brake discs: significantly and obviously worn102 tests
- 8Non-component advisories: Nail in tyre93 tests
Questions
What is the DS Ds7 MOT pass rate?
85% of the 3,877 DS Ds7 first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 15% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 2% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a DS Ds7 usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm", recorded on 126 failed tests, followed by "Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick" and "Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords". By section, tyres appears in 37.6% of failures, brakes appears in 22.6% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 18.5% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 11.8%; at 6-9 years it was 17.4%. The median DS Ds7 tested in 2025 was 6 years old with 45,839 miles.
Is the DS Ds7 getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 3.2 points to 16.2% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (4.2 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 Ds7 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 Ds7?
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.