48,608 tests in 2025
Nissan Leaf reliability and MOT pass rate
83.2% passed first time. The 16.8% fail rate is 5.8 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 6 years old with 40,244 miles.
Pass rate
83.2%
22.6% of all cars failed; 16.8% of these did.
Fixed on the day
3%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
40,244 mi
6 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 22,820 | 8.9% |
| 6-9 years | 17,242 | 19.3% |
| 10-13 years | 7,963 | 33.8% |
| 14+ years | 367 | 33.2% |
What the Leaf 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.
- Suspension209 dangerous42.5%
- Tyres2,803 dangerous38%
- Brakes840 dangerous22.3%
- Visibility14%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment4 dangerous12.5%
- Steering26 dangerous4.8%
- Body, chassis, structure9 dangerous1.8%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems1.7%
Is the Leaf getting worse?
The fail rate rose 3 points to 17% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 30,164 | 5 | 14% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 36,201 | 6 | 15.5% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 37,389 | — | 16.5% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 47,311 | — | 17% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Leaf 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 Leaf in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn2,101 tests
- 2Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm977 tests
- 3Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords971 tests
- 4Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively760 tests
- 5Condition: has ply or cords exposed610 tests
- 6Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn506 tests
- 7Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick443 tests
- 8Linkage ball joints: ball joint excessively worn386 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Leaf collects 2.37 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 1.6mm7,680 tests
- 2Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened5,804 tests
- 3Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure4,671 tests
- 4Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn3,475 tests
- 5Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick2,586 tests
- 6Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn1,473 tests
- 7Non-component advisories: Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt1,307 tests
- 8Tread depth: tread pattern not visible over the whole tread area when minimum depth required is 1.0mm1,030 tests
Questions
What is the Nissan Leaf MOT pass rate?
83.2% of the 48,608 Nissan Leaf first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 16.8% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 3% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Nissan Leaf usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn", recorded on 2,101 failed tests, followed by "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" and "Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords". By section, suspension appears in 42.5% of failures, tyres appears in 38% of failures, brakes appears in 22.3% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 8.9%; at 14+ years it was 33.2%. The median Nissan Leaf tested in 2025 was 6 years old with 40,244 miles.
Is the Nissan Leaf getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 3 points to 17% 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 Leaf 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 6 safety recalls naming the Nissan Leaf: Nissan Leaf recalls.
Other Nissan models
Checking a particular Leaf?
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.