Citroen C5 MOT pass rate: 78.9% (18,671 tests, 2025)

Name: Citroen C5 MOT statistics 2025
Creator: OBDCode UK
License: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Last updated 24 August 2026 · OBDCode UK editorial

The Citroen C5 passed 78.9% of its 18,671 MOT tests in 2025 — 1.4 points above the UK average of 77.5%. The median tested example was 6 years old with 49,916 miles on the clock.

78.9%Pass rate (2025)

18,671MOT tests analysed

49,916 miMedian mileage at test

6 yrsMedian age at test

How the C5 compares

Citroen C5

78.9%

UK average (all Class 4 vehicles)

77.5% across 33.1 million tests

Citroen average (all models)

71.1%

What fails most on the Citroen C5

Across failed and rectified tests in 2025, these vehicle systems produced the most defects on the C5:

#	System	Defects recorded	Share
1	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	2,198	22.3%
2	Brakes	1,836	18.6%
3	Suspension	1,789	18.1%
4	Tyres	1,607	16.3%
5	Body, chassis, structure	1,097	11.1%
6	Visibility	486	4.9%

Pre-MOT checklist for C5 owners

Based on the failure profile above, ten minutes with a torch before your test removes the most likely fail items:

Walk round with all lights on: one blown bulb is the most avoidable fail there is
Feel for a spongy pedal or pulling to one side; check pad wear through the wheel spokes if visible
Bounce each corner and listen for clonks over speed bumps — suspension is this model’s (and the UK’s) top failure system
Check tread with the 20p test and inspect sidewalls for cracking — tyres close to the limit are the country’s most common advisory
Look underneath for corrosion around sills and subframes, especially on older cars

Engine management light on?

An illuminated engine management light is a Major MOT defect. Read the code, repair the cause, then confirm the light stays off — clearing a code alone is not a repair.

Understand the engine management light and MOT rules →

C5 pass rate by registration year

Registration year	Tests	Pass rate	Vs same-age	Median mileage	Pass-rate bar
2008	3,543	62.6%	-2.5 pts	117,934	62.6% visual scale
2009	5,256	62.9%	-3.6 pts	117,742	62.9% visual scale
2010	3,507	64.6%	-2.8 pts	114,051	64.6% visual scale
2011	1,716	68.7%	-0.5 pts	106,258	68.7% visual scale
2019	19,472	87.2%	-1.2 pts	34,478	87.2% visual scale
2020	14,718	88.5%	-1.4 pts	28,120	88.5% visual scale
2021	1,641	90.1%	-0.3 pts	28,124	90.1% visual scale

Same-vehicle follow-up

The defect groups above are a single-year count. The prognosis registry follows the same vehicle_id into the next MOT year. The extracts do not record the repair, a turbo part number, or a gearbox type.

Brakes: advisory follow-up · did the same fail item hold
Suspension: advisory follow-up · did the same fail item hold
Tyres: advisory follow-up · did the same fail item hold
Body, chassis, structure: advisory follow-up · did the same fail item hold

On this model, these certificate lines have a published follow-up (cohort at least 200 cars):

Pins and bushes pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement — 415 cars · 10.1% failed the same item the next year
Brake pads wearing thin — 1,652 cars · 8.2% failed the same item the next year
Shock absorbers has light misting of oil — 292 cars · 4.5% failed the same item the next year
Linkage ball joints ball joint has slight play — 381 cars · 4.2% failed the same item the next year
Tread depth worn close to legal limit/worn on edge — 2,755 cars · 2.7% failed the same item the next year

Check a specific C5 before you buy

Pass rates describe the model; they can’t tell you about the one car you’re looking at. Run its plate through our free MOT history check to see its personal record of failures, advisories and mileage readings.

Other Citroen models

C370.4% pass rate · 171,361 tests Berlingo68.1% pass rate · 163,538 tests C174.9% pass rate · 157,477 tests C465.6% pass rate · 116,599 tests DS360.5% pass rate · 68,014 tests Dispatch66.9% pass rate · 37,135 tests C3 Aircross84.8% pass rate · 24,562 tests C4 Cactus77.1% pass rate · 21,042 tests

FAQs

What is the MOT pass rate for a Citroen C5?

In 2025, 78.9% of 18,671 first MOT tests on the Citroen C5 were passes (UK average: 77.5%). Data: DVSA anonymised MOT results.

What does the C5 fail its MOT on most?

The biggest defect group is lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment (22.3% of its recorded defects), followed by brakes.

Is the Citroen C5 reliable?

MOT pass rate is one lens on durability: at 78.9% it performs above the national average at a median age of 6 years and 49,916 miles. Always check the individual car's history too.

Before you agree to the work

A fault or an advisory is a quote waiting to happen. These pages set out what a garage has to tell you, what a comparable written quote should include, and what you can do if the bill is not what you agreed.

Estimates, quotes and extra work — what a price has to cover, and when a garage may charge more than it first said.
What a diagnostic test costs — what the fee should include, and when it should come off the repair.
Tools — when to buy and when to skip — how to choose a diagnostic tool, and when a garage visit is cheaper than owning one.
Choosing a garage you can check — what to verify before you hand over the keys.
Your rights after a car repair — what to do when the work is not right, and how to put it in writing.

Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2025 extract (Class 4 initial tests only; retests excluded). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures rounded to one decimal place.