2006 Vauxhall Meriva MOT pass rate: 55.2% (11,512 tests)

2006-registered Vauxhall Merivas passed 55.2% of 11,512 MOT tests in 2023–2025 — 9.2 points worse than same-age cars (64.4%). This is one of the lower-scoring Meriva years after correcting for vehicle age — inspect the individual car carefully.
55.2%Pass rate, 2006 cars
90.8Age-adjusted index (100 = average)
11,512Tests analysed
87,388 miMedian mileage at test
55.4% / 53.6%Petrol vs diesel pass rate

Is the 2006 Meriva getting worse?

Pass rate of 2006-registered cars across recent test years:

Test yearPass rate
202355.3%
-9.0 vs same-age
202455.0%
-9.2 vs same-age
202555.4%
-9.6 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 2006 Meriva

#SystemDefects recordedShare
1Brakes4,41523.0%
2Suspension3,98920.7%
3Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment3,69119.2%
4Body, chassis, structure2,18411.4%
5Noise, emissions and leaks1,4537.6%
6Tyres1,4087.3%

All Meriva years compared

Registration yearTestsPass rateVs same-ageMedian mileage
2004 5,259 55.1% -9.2 pts 88,802
2005 7,170 54.8% -9.6 pts 89,108
2006 (this page) 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 2006 Meriva? Two checks first

FAQs

Is a 2006 Vauxhall Meriva reliable?

2006-registered examples passed 55.2% of their MOT tests (11,512 tests, 2023–2025), -9.2 points versus all UK cars registered in the same year. At roughly 20 years old with a median 87,388 miles, condition now varies car by car — always check the individual MOT history.

What mileage is too high for a 2006 Meriva?

The median tested example shows 87,388 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.