In 2025, 163,904 Citroën Berlingo cars had a regular MOT in Great Britain. 58% passed first time, compared with 71% for all cars of the same ages, which makes the Berlingo worse than average. Most are commercial vans or pick-ups, which usually cover far higher mileages and harder work than private cars, so we leave them out of the car rankings.
That comparison matters: older cars fail more often, so a raw pass rate flatters models that are mostly young. We compare each model against every car on the road at the same age.
Pass rate by age
At 3 years old, 84% of Berlingos passed first time (all cars that age: 88%). By 20 years, that figure is 50% (all cars: 58%). It trails the average car at most ages, most noticeably at 8 years (21 points behind).
Citroën Berlingo All cars of that age
| Age | Tests | Berlingo passed first time | All cars | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 years | 446 | 84% | 88% | 23,133 |
| 4 years | 5,093 | 72% | 87% | 53,628 |
| 5 years | 11,423 | 74% | 86% | 62,392 |
| 6 years | 13,704 | 72% | 84% | 69,716 |
| 7 years | 12,518 | 60% | 81% | 82,934 |
| 8 years | 12,097 | 57% | 78% | 92,123 |
| 9 years | 13,824 | 58% | 75% | 96,309 |
| 10 years | 14,696 | 55% | 72% | 103,252 |
| 11 years | 13,711 | 53% | 69% | 108,426 |
| 12 years | 11,747 | 53% | 66% | 114,964 |
| 13 years | 9,156 | 52% | 63% | 116,229 |
| 14 years | 7,431 | 50% | 61% | 122,556 |
| 15 years | 6,714 | 50% | 59% | 126,367 |
| 16 years | 7,386 | 50% | 58% | 122,498 |
| 17 years | 4,776 | 51% | 57% | 119,142 |
| 18 years | 4,346 | 53% | 57% | 114,071 |
| 19 years | 4,145 | 53% | 57% | 116,933 |
| 20 years | 3,001 | 50% | 58% | 116,052 |
What fails most on a Citroën Berlingo
The area that lets the Berlingo down most, relative to other cars, is lights and electrics: 43.7% of tests failed on it, 2.7 times the rate for the average car.
Share of Berlingo tests failing on this area Average car
The six most common failure items
| Failure item | Area | Share of tests |
|---|---|---|
| A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning | Lights and electrics | 10.5% |
| Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning | Lights and electrics | 8.0% |
| A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | Body and structure | 6.9% |
| A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn | Suspension | 6.6% |
| The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements | Lights and electrics | 6.3% |
| A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps | Lights and electrics | 5.6% |
What to check when buying a used Berlingo
Based on where the Berlingo fails more often than other cars, these are the checks worth making before you buy:
- Lights and electrics: Walk round with the lights on: headlights (dipped and main), indicators, brake lights, number-plate and fog lights. Bulbs are cheap, but a seller who hasn’t noticed one out may have missed more. Repair guide
- Body and structure: Get underneath with a torch: sills, jacking points, subframe mounts and floor pans. Structural rust is the failure that can make a car uneconomic to fix. Repair guide
- Visibility: Check the windscreen for chips in the driver’s view, the wipers for smearing and the washers for working jets. Repair guide
Then check the individual car: its own MOT history will show whether it follows the pattern. A car with repeated advisories in the same weak area is more likely to fail its next test.
Check a specific Berlingo
Enter the registration to see its full MOT history, mileage record and reliability score, compared with these figures.
Check a BerlingoFrequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a Citroën Berlingo?
In 2025, 58% of Citroën Berlingo cars passed their MOT first time, across 163,904 tests. Cars of the same ages averaged 71%.
What do Citroën Berlingo cars most often fail their MOT on?
The most common failure items were: a lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning (10.5% of tests); stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning (8.0% of tests); a transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc (6.9% of tests).
Other Citroën models
Citroën C3 (63%), Citroën C1 (68%), Citroën C4 (58%), Citroën DS3 (52%), Citroën Dispatch (57%), Citroën C3 Aircross (82%). All Citroën models
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2025 (class 4 normal tests; first-time pass means passed with no faults fixed at the test). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.