8,794 tests in 2025
Jeep Cherokee reliability and MOT pass rate
72.9% passed first time. The 27.1% fail rate is 4.5 points worse than the all-car average, on a median example 11 years old with 91,737 miles.
Pass rate
72.9%
22.6% of all cars failed; 27.1% of these did.
Fixed on the day
4.3%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
91,737 mi
11 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 11 | — |
| 6-9 years | 2,120 | 19.1% |
| 10-13 years | 2,939 | 24.3% |
| 14+ years | 3,724 | 34% |
What the Cherokee 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.
- Suspension50 dangerous42.7%
- Brakes429 dangerous37.5%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment8 dangerous36.4%
- Tyres415 dangerous18.6%
- Noise, emissions and leaks7 dangerous16%
- Body, chassis, structure40 dangerous15.8%
- Visibility1 dangerous11.2%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems3 dangerous6.7%
Is the Cherokee getting worse?
The fail rate rose 2.3 points to 22.3% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years. Ageing alone would predict about 7.7 points, so it is holding up better than the fleet average for its age.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 6,131 | 7 | 20% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 5,988 | 8 | 20.3% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 5,017 | 9 | 21.9% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 5,283 | 10 | 22.3% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Cherokee 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 Cherokee in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn400 tests
- 2Headlamp: not working on dipped beam240 tests
- 3Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction234 tests
- 4Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements193 tests
- 5Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength187 tests
- 6Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick180 tests
- 7Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm163 tests
- 8Position lamp: not working157 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Cherokee collects 3.01 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 1.6mm1,312 tests
- 2Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened1,281 tests
- 3Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine1,217 tests
- 4Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn1,165 tests
- 5Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick816 tests
- 6Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure533 tests
- 7Coil spring: corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened400 tests
- 8Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded390 tests
Questions
What is the Jeep Cherokee MOT pass rate?
72.9% of the 8,794 Jeep Cherokee first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 27.1% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 4.3% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Jeep Cherokee usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn", recorded on 400 failed tests, followed by "Headlamp: not working on dipped beam" and "Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction". By section, suspension appears in 42.7% of failures, brakes appears in 37.5% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 36.4% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 27.3%; at 14+ years it was 34%. The median Jeep Cherokee tested in 2025 was 11 years old with 91,737 miles.
Is the Jeep Cherokee getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 2.3 points to 22.3% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years. Ageing alone would predict about 7.7 points, so it is holding up better than the fleet average for its age.
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 Cherokee 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 32 safety recalls naming the Jeep Cherokee: Jeep Cherokee recalls.
Other Jeep models
- Renegade 23%
- Compass 20%
- Grand Cherokee 22.1%
- Wrangler 20.3%
- Patriot 40.9%
Checking a particular Cherokee?
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.