188,475 tests in 2025
Skoda Octavia reliability and MOT pass rate
79.9% passed first time. The 20.1% fail rate is 2.5 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 9 years old with 92,466 miles.
Pass rate
79.9%
22.6% of all cars failed; 20.1% of these did.
Fixed on the day
4.3%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
92,466 mi
9 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 25,596 | 9.9% |
| 6-9 years | 69,191 | 14.7% |
| 10-13 years | 51,484 | 21.6% |
| 14+ years | 41,095 | 34.1% |
What the Octavia 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.
- Suspension582 dangerous44.3%
- Tyres11,484 dangerous29.3%
- Brakes5,229 dangerous25.6%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment53 dangerous25%
- Noise, emissions and leaks41 dangerous12.4%
- Body, chassis, structure111 dangerous9.7%
- Visibility17 dangerous8%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems5 dangerous5.1%
Is the Octavia getting worse?
The fail rate rose 1.4 points to 20.6% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 204,467 | 8 | 19.2% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 204,226 | — | 19.9% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 176,085 | — | 20.5% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 179,400 | — | 20.6% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Octavia 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 Octavia in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Coil spring: fractured or broken5,694 tests
- 2Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick3,473 tests
- 3Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm3,348 tests
- 4Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak3,171 tests
- 5Condition: has ply or cords exposed3,068 tests
- 6Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt2,826 tests
- 7Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction2,667 tests
- 8Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords2,573 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Octavia collects 2.72 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 1.6mm31,103 tests
- 2Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak24,991 tests
- 3Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened18,218 tests
- 4Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick16,130 tests
- 5Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure14,903 tests
- 6Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn13,987 tests
- 7Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine8,226 tests
- 8Sub-frame: corroded and seriously weakened7,597 tests
Questions
What is the Skoda Octavia MOT pass rate?
79.9% of the 188,475 Skoda Octavia first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 20.1% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 4.3% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Skoda Octavia usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Coil spring: fractured or broken", recorded on 5,694 failed tests, followed by "Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick" and "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm". By section, suspension appears in 44.3% of failures, tyres appears in 29.3% of failures, brakes appears in 25.6% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 9.9%; at 14+ years it was 34.1%. The median Skoda Octavia tested in 2025 was 9 years old with 92,466 miles.
Is the Skoda Octavia getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 1.4 points to 20.6% 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 Octavia 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 26 safety recalls naming the Skoda Octavia: Skoda Octavia recalls.
Other Skoda models
Checking a particular Octavia?
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.