DS DS3 MOT pass rate: 72.1% (33,094 tests, 2025)

Name: DS DS3 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 DS DS3 passed 72.1% of its 33,094 MOT tests in 2025 — 5.4 points below the UK average of 77.5%. The median tested example was 9 years old with 52,752 miles on the clock.

72.1%Pass rate (2025)

33,094MOT tests analysed

52,752 miMedian mileage at test

9 yrsMedian age at test

How the DS3 compares

DS DS3

72.1%

UK average (all Class 4 vehicles)

77.5% across 33.1 million tests

DS average (all models)

74.5%

What fails most on the DS DS3

Across failed and rectified tests in 2025, these vehicle systems produced the most defects on the DS3:

#	System	Defects recorded	Share
1	Suspension	4,407	21.0%
2	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	3,515	16.8%
3	Body, chassis, structure	3,278	15.6%
4	Tyres	3,141	15.0%
5	Brakes	2,952	14.1%
6	Visibility	1,582	7.5%

Pre-MOT checklist for DS3 owners

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

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

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 →

DS3 pass rate by registration year

Lower age-adjusted outliers to inspect carefully: 2015, 2016. Strongest age-adjusted years: 2019. Full ranking and method: DS DS3 years to avoid.

Registration year	Tests	Pass rate	Vs same-age	Median mileage	Pass-rate bar
2015	19,161	66.6%	-12.1 pts	59,893	66.6% visual scale
2016	34,449	71.7%	-9.6 pts	52,716	71.7% visual scale
2017	21,340	77.2%	-6.8 pts	43,695	77.2% visual scale
2018	10,152	80.9%	-5.4 pts	37,074	80.9% visual scale
2019	7,385	86.9%	-1.4 pts	31,627	86.9% visual scale
2020	3,564	85.6%	-4.3 pts	27,043	85.6% 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
Tyres: advisory follow-up · did the same fail item hold
Brakes: 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):

Track rod end ball joint has slight play — 427 cars · 16.6% failed the same item the next year
Brake pads wearing thin — 1,449 cars · 6.2% failed the same item the next year
Tread depth worn close to legal limit/worn on edge — 3,602 cars · 4.5% failed the same item the next year
Service brake performance binding but not excessively — 275 cars · 4.0% failed the same item the next year
Exhaust system has a minor leak of exhaust gases — 223 cars · 3.6% failed the same item the next year

Check a specific DS3 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 DS models

DS469.9% pass rate · 4,333 tests DS783.8% pass rate · 1,798 tests

FAQs

What is the MOT pass rate for a DS DS3?

In 2025, 72.1% of 33,094 first MOT tests on the DS DS3 were passes (UK average: 77.5%). Data: DVSA anonymised MOT results.

What does the DS3 fail its MOT on most?

The biggest defect group is suspension (21.0% of its recorded defects), followed by lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment.

Is the DS DS3 reliable?

MOT pass rate is one lens on durability: at 72.1% it performs below the national average at a median age of 9 years and 52,752 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.