Know Your MOT
34.7%fail rate

Nissan Urvan common MOT failures and failure rate

What a Nissan Urvan fails its MOT on, from real DVSA test data, and the part that resolves each item.

Based on 7,333 MOT tests in DVSA data.

About 34.7% of MOT tests recorded on the Nissan Urvan in DVSA data end in a failure. The same handful of items account for most of them.

Its most common failure is lamps & electrical, which makes up 47.3% of the Nissan Urvan's failures, followed by lamps & electrical, brakes, suspension, exhaust & emissions. Each item below links to the part that resolves it. Confirm the exact fitment against your registration or VIN before buying, and have safety-critical work done by a competent mechanic.

What it fails on, and why

Lamps & electrical47.3% of failures

Lighting is the single most common MOT failure and the cheapest to put right. A blown headlight, brake-light or number-plate bulb, a cracked lens, or a headlamp beam that points too high or low will all fail. Most are a two-minute bulb swap.

Brakes42.2% of failures

Brake failures cover worn pads and discs, an imbalance between wheels, corroded or scored discs, or a binding caliper. Braking efficiency is measured on a rolling road, so a spongy or pulling brake shows up as a low reading.

Suspension34.5% of failures

Suspension failures usually mean a worn or snapped coil spring, a leaking shock absorber, or play in a lower arm ball joint or bush. The tester checks for corrosion, fractures and excessive movement. A broken front spring is one of the most common failures on higher-mileage cars and is a straightforward replacement.

Exhaust & emissions26.5% of failures

Exhaust failures cover leaks, insecure mountings and emissions over the limit. A blowing exhaust, a failed lambda reading or a diesel that smokes beyond the limit will fail.

Visibility/wipers25.2% of failures

Visibility failures include torn or smearing wiper blades, a washer jet that does not reach the screen, and chips or cracks in the driver's swept area. Blades and washer fluid are quick, cheap fixes.

Body & structure18.9% of failures

Structural failures are corrosion in load-bearing areas, sharp edges, or insecure panels. These are inspection-and-welding jobs rather than a simple bolt-on part, so weigh them against the value of the car.

Failure rate by year

How the MOT failure rate varies by the car's year of first registration (older examples generally fail more as wear sets in).

198740.2% fail · 224 tests
198831.1% fail · 505 tests
198935.0% fail · 640 tests
199035.1% fail · 912 tests
199134.4% fail · 806 tests
199234.2% fail · 968 tests
199337.6% fail · 572 tests
199435.2% fail · 895 tests
199534.4% fail · 948 tests
199635.3% fail · 255 tests
200134.6% fail · 107 tests

The parts that fix each

If your car has just failed, you have 10 working days to fix the items and get a free partial retest. These are the usual parts; confirm the exact fitment against your registration or VIN before buying.

For the lamps & electrical failure: Nissan Urvan headlight and indicator bulbsSearch Amazon for Nissan Urvan headlight and indicator bulbsaffiliate searchFind Nissan Urvan headlight and indicator bulbs on eBayaffiliate
For the brakes failure: Nissan Urvan brake pads and discsSearch Amazon for Nissan Urvan brake pads and discsaffiliate searchFind Nissan Urvan brake pads and discs on eBayaffiliate
For the suspension failure: Nissan Urvan suspension springs and shock absorbersSearch Amazon for Nissan Urvan suspension springs and shock absorbersaffiliate searchFind Nissan Urvan suspension springs and shock absorbers on eBayaffiliate
For the exhaust & emissions failure: Nissan Urvan exhaustSearch Amazon for Nissan Urvan exhaustaffiliate searchFind Nissan Urvan exhaust on eBayaffiliate
For the visibility/wipers failure: Nissan Urvan wiper bladesSearch Amazon for Nissan Urvan wiper bladesaffiliate searchFind Nissan Urvan wiper blades on eBayaffiliate

Other models

Nissan Micra MOT failures28.6% failure rateNissan Qashqai MOT failures22.8% failure rateNissan Juke MOT failures20.6% failure rateFord Fiesta MOT failures27.1% failure rate

Sources: DVSA MOT History API: MOT test results and defect data · DVSA MOT testing data for Great Britain