2010 Citroen C3 MOT pass rate: 60.3% (54,187 tests)

2010-registered Citroen C3s passed 60.3% of 54,187 MOT tests in 2023–2025 — 7.1 points worse than same-age cars (67.4%). This is one of the lower-scoring C3 years after correcting for vehicle age — inspect the individual car carefully.

60.3%Pass rate, 2010 cars

92.9Age-adjusted index (100 = average)

54,187Tests analysed

87,558 miMedian mileage at test

62.8% / 58.7%Petrol vs diesel pass rate

Is the 2010 C3 getting worse?

Pass rate of 2010-registered cars across recent test years:

Test year	Pass rate
2023	60.9% -7.1 vs same-age
2024	59.8% -7.2 vs same-age
2025	60.0% -6.9 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 2010 C3

#	System	Defects recorded	Share
1	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	15,413	23.5%
2	Suspension	14,911	22.8%
3	Brakes	8,886	13.6%
4	Body, chassis, structure	6,596	10.1%
5	Tyres	5,822	8.9%
6	Steering	4,973	7.6%

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	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 (this page)	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 2010 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 2010 Citroen C3 reliable?

2010-registered examples passed 60.3% of their MOT tests (54,187 tests, 2023–2025), -7.1 points versus all UK cars registered in the same year. At roughly 16 years old with a median 87,558 miles, condition now varies car by car — always check the individual MOT history.

What mileage is too high for a 2010 C3?

The median tested example shows 87,558 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.

Should I buy the petrol or diesel 2010 C3?

In this cohort petrols pass 62.8% of tests against 58.7% for diesels. Mileage and use can explain part of that gap, so treat it as a reason to inspect DPF and emissions history, not a fuel-type verdict.

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.