2005 Vauxhall Meriva MOT pass rate: 54.8% (7,170 tests)

2005-registered Vauxhall Merivas passed 54.8% of 7,170 MOT tests in 2023–2025 — 9.6 points worse than same-age cars (64.5%). This is one of the lower-scoring Meriva years after correcting for vehicle age — inspect the individual car carefully.

54.8%Pass rate, 2005 cars

90.4Age-adjusted index (100 = average)

7,170Tests analysed

89,108 miMedian mileage at test

54.9% / 54.6%Petrol vs diesel pass rate

Is the 2005 Meriva getting worse?

Pass rate of 2005-registered cars across recent test years:

Test year	Pass rate
2023	54.0% -10.2 vs same-age
2024	55.9% -8.3 vs same-age
2025	55.0% -10.3 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 2005 Meriva

#	System	Defects recorded	Share
1	Suspension	2,912	24.4%
2	Brakes	2,449	20.5%
3	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	2,384	20.0%
4	Body, chassis, structure	1,271	10.7%
5	Tyres	802	6.7%
6	Noise, emissions and leaks	680	5.7%

All Meriva years compared

Registration year	Tests	Pass rate	Vs same-age	Median mileage
2004	5,259	55.1%	-9.2 pts	88,802
2005 (this page)	7,170	54.8%	-9.6 pts	89,108
2006	11,512	55.2%	-9.2 pts	87,388
2007	13,929	57.1%	-8.1 pts	85,739
2008	15,489	57.5%	-7.6 pts	84,654
2009	15,545	59.2%	-7.2 pts	79,288
2010	28,781	65.0%	-2.4 pts	82,366
2011	43,001	70.1%	+0.9 pts	83,847
2012	26,213	72.1%	+0.9 pts	73,912
2013	22,951	70.5%	-2.8 pts	65,094
2014	22,450	76.0%	+0.1 pts	57,364
2015	24,388	77.1%	-1.6 pts	51,967
2016	19,226	79.0%	-2.3 pts	45,084
2017	13,246	80.8%	-3.2 pts	37,962

Weighing up which year to buy? See the full ranking: Vauxhall Meriva years to avoid.

Buying a 2005 Meriva? 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 2005 Vauxhall Meriva reliable?

2005-registered examples passed 54.8% of their MOT tests (7,170 tests, 2023–2025), -9.6 points versus all UK cars registered in the same year. At roughly 21 years old with a median 89,108 miles, condition now varies car by car — always check the individual MOT history.

What mileage is too high for a 2005 Meriva?

The median tested example shows 89,108 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.

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.