2003 Citroen C3 MOT pass rate: 57.3% (7,978 tests)

2003-registered Citroen C3s passed 57.3% of 7,978 MOT tests in 2023–2025 — 7.7 points worse than same-age cars (65.0%). This is one of the lower-scoring C3 years after correcting for vehicle age — inspect the individual car carefully.

57.3%Pass rate, 2003 cars

92.3Age-adjusted index (100 = average)

7,978Tests analysed

81,600 miMedian mileage at test

57.4% / 56.9%Petrol vs diesel pass rate

Is the 2003 C3 getting worse?

Pass rate of 2003-registered cars across recent test years:

Test year	Pass rate
2023	57.0% -7.5 vs same-age
2024	57.6% -7.2 vs same-age
2025	57.6% -8.6 vs same-age

The raw rate normally falls as cars age. The “vs same-age” figure compares this cohort with all UK cars registered in the same year, so normal ageing is not mistaken for a bad model year.

What fails on a 2003 C3

#	System	Defects recorded	Share
1	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	4,013	31.0%
2	Suspension	3,392	26.2%
3	Brakes	1,625	12.6%
4	Body, chassis, structure	1,098	8.5%
5	Tyres	869	6.7%
6	Visibility	799	6.2%

All C3 years compared

Registration year	Tests	Pass rate	Vs same-age	Median mileage
2002	2,849	57.8%	-7.8 pts	86,618
2003 (this page)	7,978	57.3%	-7.7 pts	81,600
2004	9,942	59.2%	-5.1 pts	78,801
2005	12,288	59.3%	-5.2 pts	80,137
2006	14,179	61.1%	-3.3 pts	77,116
2007	15,930	60.6%	-4.5 pts	77,893
2008	14,616	59.6%	-5.5 pts	76,887
2009	28,077	60.1%	-6.3 pts	86,124
2010	54,187	60.3%	-7.1 pts	87,558
2011	45,554	62.6%	-6.6 pts	82,008
2012	44,206	65.7%	-5.6 pts	73,336
2013	40,006	68.8%	-4.5 pts	67,137
2014	41,070	71.9%	-4.0 pts	57,697
2015	36,171	75.4%	-3.4 pts	52,174
2016	26,211	77.4%	-3.9 pts	44,663
2017	46,131	81.0%	-3.0 pts	44,690
2018	46,120	85.0%	-1.4 pts	38,422
2019	39,579	88.7%	+0.3 pts	31,130
2020	14,384	91.7%	+1.8 pts	24,704
2021	1,659	93.7%	+3.3 pts	24,054

Weighing up which year to buy? See the full ranking: Citroen C3 years to avoid.

Buying a 2003 C3? Two checks first

Free MOT history checkThe exact car’s failures, advisories and mileage trail — sellers can’t edit it
Topdon OBD2 scannersTopdon diagnostic scanners with full-system readouts
XTOOL diagnostic toolsXTOOL code readers for petrol and diesel cars
Autel UK testersAutel professional-grade diagnostic testers

FAQs

Is a 2003 Citroen C3 reliable?

2003-registered examples passed 57.3% of their MOT tests (7,978 tests, 2023–2025), -7.7 points versus all UK cars registered in the same year. At roughly 23 years old with a median 81,600 miles, condition now varies car by car — always check the individual MOT history.

What mileage is too high for a 2003 C3?

The median tested example shows 81,600 miles. Anything far beyond that isn't automatically bad — a motorway-mile car with consistent service records often beats a low-mileage school-run car — but price accordingly and scrutinise the mileage trail for gaps or drops.

Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023–2025 extracts (96 million Class 4 initial tests; retests excluded). Only vehicles old enough for a routine first MOT are included. Age-adjusted figures compare the model-year cohort with all vehicles of the same registration year tested in the same calendar year. Contains public sector information licensed under OGL v3.0.