Citroen Xsara MOT pass rate: 59.3% (19,372 tests, 2025)

Name: Citroen Xsara 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 Xsara passed 59.3% of its 19,372 MOT tests in 2025 — 18.2 points below the UK average of 77.5%. The median tested example was 19 years old with 99,700 miles on the clock.

59.3%Pass rate (2025)

19,372MOT tests analysed

99,700 miMedian mileage at test

19 yrsMedian age at test

How the Xsara compares

Citroen Xsara

59.3%

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 Xsara

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

#	System	Defects recorded	Share
1	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	7,047	26.8%
2	Suspension	5,242	19.9%
3	Body, chassis, structure	3,974	15.1%
4	Brakes	3,342	12.7%
5	Tyres	2,043	7.8%
6	Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems	1,986	7.6%

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

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 →

Xsara pass rate by registration year

Lower age-adjusted outliers to inspect carefully: 2001. Strongest age-adjusted years: 2006, 2009. Full ranking and method: Citroen Xsara years to avoid.

Registration year	Tests	Pass rate	Vs same-age	Median mileage	Pass-rate bar
2001	2,512	57.2%	-9.3 pts	108,468	57.2% visual scale
2002	4,059	58.6%	-7.0 pts	107,399	58.6% visual scale
2003	5,615	57.3%	-7.7 pts	110,826	57.3% visual scale
2004	8,486	59.2%	-5.1 pts	108,208	59.2% visual scale
2005	9,544	56.8%	-7.7 pts	104,740	56.8% visual scale
2006	15,299	59.4%	-5.0 pts	97,724	59.4% visual scale
2007	14,327	58.0%	-7.1 pts	99,034	58.0% visual scale
2008	8,020	58.1%	-7.1 pts	97,787	58.1% visual scale
2009	6,802	62.5%	-3.9 pts	90,306	62.5% visual scale
2010	3,463	62.0%	-5.4 pts	88,609	62.0% 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.

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

Prescribed areas prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive — 201 cars · 13.9% failed the same item the next year
Ball joint has slight play — 488 cars · 10.5% failed the same item the next year
Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive — 370 cars · 9.5% failed the same item the next year
Track rod end ball joint has slight play — 438 cars · 9.4% failed the same item the next year
Integral vehicle structure condition is corroded but structural rigidity is not significantly reduced — 402 cars · 9.0% failed the same item the next year

Check a specific Xsara 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 Xsara?

In 2025, 59.3% of 19,372 first MOT tests on the Citroen Xsara were passes (UK average: 77.5%). Data: DVSA anonymised MOT results.

What does the Xsara fail its MOT on most?

The biggest defect group is lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment (26.8% of its recorded defects), followed by suspension.

Is the Citroen Xsara reliable?

MOT pass rate is one lens on durability: at 59.3% it performs below the national average at a median age of 19 years and 99,700 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.