Know Your MOT
37.5%fail rate

Nissan Vanette common MOT failures and failure rate

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

Based on 206,328 MOT tests in DVSA data.

About 37.5% of MOT tests recorded on the Nissan Vanette in DVSA data end in a failure. The same handful of items account for most of them.

Its most common failure is brakes, which makes up 52.2% of the Nissan Vanette's failures, followed by brakes, suspension, lamps & electrical, visibility/wipers. 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

Brakes52.2% 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.

Suspension46.7% 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.

Lamps & electrical42.8% 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.

Visibility/wipers19.3% 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.

Exhaust & emissions15.6% 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.

Tyres14.2% of failures

Tyres fail for tread below the 1.6mm legal limit across the central three-quarters, uneven or exposed-cord wear, or sidewall damage. The tester inspects all four; a single illegal tyre is a fail.

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).

199036.3% fail · 1,464 tests
199137.7% fail · 1,936 tests
199236.7% fail · 2,826 tests
199338.9% fail · 2,739 tests
199437.8% fail · 3,145 tests
199539.4% fail · 6,985 tests
199639.3% fail · 12,378 tests
199738.9% fail · 17,329 tests
199838.3% fail · 23,449 tests
199937.6% fail · 30,572 tests
200037.1% fail · 38,802 tests
200137.2% fail · 43,550 tests
200235.0% fail · 18,362 tests
200333.3% fail · 159 tests
200441.6% fail · 113 tests
200938.9% fail · 113 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 brakes failure: Nissan Vanette brake pads and discsSearch Amazon for Nissan Vanette brake pads and discsaffiliate searchFind Nissan Vanette brake pads and discs on eBayaffiliate
For the suspension failure: Nissan Vanette suspension springs and shock absorbersSearch Amazon for Nissan Vanette suspension springs and shock absorbersaffiliate searchFind Nissan Vanette suspension springs and shock absorbers on eBayaffiliate
For the lamps & electrical failure: Nissan Vanette headlight and indicator bulbsSearch Amazon for Nissan Vanette headlight and indicator bulbsaffiliate searchFind Nissan Vanette headlight and indicator bulbs on eBayaffiliate
For the visibility/wipers failure: Nissan Vanette wiper bladesSearch Amazon for Nissan Vanette wiper bladesaffiliate searchFind Nissan Vanette wiper blades on eBayaffiliate
For the exhaust & emissions failure: Nissan Vanette exhaustSearch Amazon for Nissan Vanette exhaustaffiliate searchFind Nissan Vanette exhaust on eBayaffiliate
For the tyres failure: Nissan Vanette tyresSearch Amazon for Nissan Vanette tyresaffiliate searchFind Nissan Vanette tyres 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