In 2025, 146,855 Vauxhall Vivaro cars had a regular MOT in Great Britain. 54% passed first time, compared with 68% for all cars of the same ages, which makes the Vivaro 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 6 years old, 70% of Vivaros passed first time (all cars that age: 84%). By 20 years, that figure is 48% (all cars: 58%). It trails the average car at most ages, most noticeably at 13 years (17 points behind).
Vauxhall Vivaro All cars of that age
| Age | Tests | Vivaro passed first time | All cars | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 years | 5,592 | 70% | 84% | 84,224 |
| 7 years | 11,260 | 66% | 81% | 88,474 |
| 8 years | 12,039 | 62% | 78% | 101,883 |
| 9 years | 18,480 | 60% | 75% | 106,148 |
| 10 years | 21,018 | 57% | 72% | 118,506 |
| 11 years | 12,092 | 52% | 69% | 126,137 |
| 12 years | 9,508 | 49% | 66% | 139,996 |
| 13 years | 7,957 | 46% | 63% | 144,365 |
| 14 years | 9,499 | 47% | 61% | 148,952 |
| 15 years | 5,803 | 46% | 59% | 152,398 |
| 16 years | 3,494 | 46% | 58% | 151,463 |
| 17 years | 7,015 | 48% | 57% | 156,415 |
| 18 years | 6,980 | 48% | 57% | 154,371 |
| 19 years | 5,869 | 47% | 57% | 154,454 |
| 20 years | 4,650 | 48% | 58% | 156,279 |
What fails most on a Vauxhall Vivaro
The area that lets the Vivaro down most, relative to other cars, is steering: 15.9% of tests failed on it, 7.2 times the rate for the average car.
Share of Vivaro tests failing on this area Average car
The six most common failure items
| Failure item | Area | Share of tests |
|---|---|---|
| A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn | Suspension | 18.1% |
| A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | Steering | 13.1% |
| A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning | Lights and electrics | 6.3% |
| A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened | Suspension | 5.7% |
| The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements | Lights and electrics | 5.4% |
| Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement | Brakes | 4.4% |
What to check when buying a used Vivaro
Based on where the Vivaro fails more often than other cars, these are the checks worth making before you buy:
- Steering: Feel for play or knocking through the wheel, and check power-steering fluid isn’t leaking. More
- Suspension: Listen for knocks over speed bumps, look for leaking shock absorbers, and check the car sits level. Ask whether springs, bushes or drop links have been replaced. Repair guide
- Brakes: Look through the wheels for lipped or scored discs, check the handbrake holds on a slope, and feel for pulling or vibration under firm braking. 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 Vivaro
Enter the registration to see its full MOT history, mileage record and reliability score, compared with these figures.
Check a VivaroFrequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a Vauxhall Vivaro?
In 2025, 54% of Vauxhall Vivaro cars passed their MOT first time, across 146,855 tests. Cars of the same ages averaged 68%.
What do Vauxhall Vivaro cars most often fail their MOT on?
The most common failure items were: a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn (18.1% of tests); a steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play (13.1% of tests); a lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning (6.3% of tests).
Other Vauxhall models
Vauxhall Corsa (61%), Vauxhall Astra (65%), Vauxhall Mokka (66%), Vauxhall Insignia (67%), Vauxhall Zafira (62%), Vauxhall Meriva (62%). All Vauxhall 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.