Skoda Superb years to avoid — 169,495 MOT tests ranked

Inspect most carefully: 2019, 2020. Strongest in the data: 2009 or 2016. The ranking uses 169,495 MOT tests across 14 registration years (2023–2025) and compares each year with all UK cars of the same age. Fuel-type signal: diesels show an average 3.5-point pass-rate deficit on this model. That may reflect mileage and use as well as the car itself, so inspect DPF and emissions history rather than treating fuel type as a verdict.

Every Superb year, ranked

The age-adjusted MOT index sets 100 as the pass rate of all UK cars registered in the same year and tested in the same calendar year. Higher is better. This prevents an old car being labelled a “bad year” simply because it is old.

RankYearIndexVs same-agePass rateTests
1 2016 Strong 102.5 +2.5 pts 83.9% 24,671
2 2009 Strong 102.3 +2.3 pts 68.7% 2,684
3 2010 101.9 +1.9 pts 69.3% 5,225
4 2017 100.8 +0.8 pts 84.8% 27,262
5 2011 100.6 +0.6 pts 69.8% 8,043
6 2012 100.3 +0.3 pts 71.5% 11,420
7 2013 100.2 +0.2 pts 73.6% 10,866
8 2018 99.7 -0.3 pts 86.1% 22,252
9 2015 99.1 -0.9 pts 77.9% 13,877
10 2014 98.9 -1.1 pts 74.8% 13,572
11 2022 98.3 -1.7 pts 89.5% 1,843
12 2021 98.1 -1.9 pts 88.5% 3,017
13 2020 Inspect 97.7 -2.3 pts 87.6% 6,544
14 2019 Inspect 97.1 -2.9 pts 85.5% 18,219

Why 2019 and 2020 rank lower

The 2020 cohort passes 87.6% of tests (-2.3 points versus same-age cars) at a median 43,886 miles, with tyres the leading failure system. The 2019 cohort passes 85.5% of tests (-2.9 points versus same-age cars) at a median 54,420 miles, with tyres the leading failure system. This is population-level evidence, not a known-fault list: service history, engine version and the individual MOT record can outweigh the registration-year average.

How to use this before buying

  • Rankings describe the cohort, not the car. A cherished 2019 example beats a neglected 2009 one — always run the specific reg through the free MOT history check.
  • Read the advisories. Repeated notes for the same component across years mean the owner has been ignoring it. Decode them in our advisory library.
  • Fuel matters on this model. The diesel deficit (3.5 points) usually traces to DPF and emissions kit on low-mileage use — check for P2463-type soot codes on the test drive.
  • Scan before you pay. A 2-minute OBD scan reveals stored faults the dashboard hides — see our scanner guide.

FAQs

Which Superb years should I avoid?

Based on 169,495 MOT tests adjusted against cars of the same age, 2019, 2020 are the lower-scoring outliers. That is a prompt for closer inspection, not proof that every car from those years is bad.

What is the best Superb year to buy used?

2009 and 2016 lead the age-adjusted MOT ranking. The score compares each registration year with all UK cars of the same age; the specific car's history and condition still take priority.

Is the Superb reliable overall?

Across 169,495 tests, the median age-adjusted index is 100.0 (100 equals the pass rate of all cars registered in the same year). Use the spread between years as one signal, then check the individual registration.

Methodology: index = 100 + the model-year cohort’s MOT pass-rate difference versus all UK vehicles registered in the same year and tested in the same calendar year. Class 4 initial tests only; retests excluded; at least 1,500 tests per page. “Inspect” years are below both the same-age baseline and the model’s median index by at least 2 points. Association is not proof of a model-year defect. DVSA anonymised data 2023–2025, OGL v3.0.