2025 MOT results
Citroën C1 common problems
The most common reason a Citroën C1 fails its MOT is a sidelight out, on 12.0% of its 50,635 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 5 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: a weak or uneven footbrake at 10.7% of failures against 2.9% expected; corroded brake pipes at 6.0% of failures against 1.7% expected; emissions above the limit at 6.0% of failures against 2.1% expected.
- Tests in 2025 162,793 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 31.1% 50,635 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 7.9% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 59.8% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Citroën C1 MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Citroën C1 tests with that defect. Where we can compare it with cars of the same registration years, the marker shows what an average car of those ages records (11 of the 12 items below).
Most common reasons for failure
A test can fail for more than one defect, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Defect | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 12.0% |
| Service brake performance: excessively binding Brakes | 10.7% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 8.0% |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 8.0% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 7.9% |
| Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded Brakes | 6.0% |
| Catalyst emissions: lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | 6.0% |
| Exhaust system: major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | 5.4% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 5.3% |
| Component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Suspension | 5.2% |
| Stop lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 5.2% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 4.6% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
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Sidelight out
12.0% of failures 9.8% expected somewhat more often
A sidelight, also called a position lamp, not working. It marks the width of the car at night.
Walk round the car with the lights on and the hazards going; these are the cheapest failures to avoid.
-
Weak or uneven footbrake
10.7% of failures 2.9% expected 3.7 times as often
The footbrake is either weak overall or pulls unevenly across an axle, which the rolling road measures.
A pull to one side under firm braking, or a long pedal, is the sign to get it looked at before a test.
-
Tyre worn below the legal limit
8.0% of failures 7.9% expected about as expected
A tyre worn past the 1.6mm legal minimum across the middle three quarters of the tread.
A 20p coin in the main grooves: if the outer band of the coin is visible, the tyre is close to the limit.
-
Headlamp aim out of line
8.0% of failures 5.0% expected 1.6 times as often
The beam pattern points too high, too low, or in the wrong place, so it either dazzles others or lights too little road.
Nothing to do at the roadside, but a garage resets the aim in minutes; a sagging suspension corner or a heavy boot load can throw it out.
-
Wiper blades that do not clear the screen
7.9% of failures 5.7% expected somewhat more often
Wiper blades that leave the windscreen smeared or streaked across the area the driver looks through.
Look for split or hardened rubber, and lift each blade to see whether it still sits flat.
-
Corroded brake pipes
6.0% of failures 1.7% expected 3.5 times as often
Corroded or damaged brake pipework. It is a safety item, and on older cars the rear pipes go first.
Look along the pipes under the sills with a torch; flaking rust rather than surface staining is the problem.
Which parts of the car fail
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails a Citroën C1, on 44.5% of failed tests. The widest gap against cars of the same registration years is brakes, on 31.4% against 22.2% expected.
Failure categories
DVSA's own sections of the test. The marker is what cars of the same registration years record.
| Defect category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 44.5% |
| Brakes | 31.4% |
| Suspension | 22.8% |
| Tyres | 20.7% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 15.2% |
| Visibility | 14.7% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 13.1% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 3.0% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
59.8% of Citroën C1 tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Citroën C1s, these are the items to ask about on a car you are viewing, because they are what the last tester expected to go next.
Most common advisories
Share of all tests, passes included.
| Advisory | Share of tests |
|---|---|
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres | 17.1% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 15.2% |
| Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material Brakes | 13.1% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 10.9% |
| Linkage pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 9.1% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 6.7% |
| Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 6.2% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 5.2% |
| Service brake performance: binding but not excessively Brakes | 4.4% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 4.2% |
| Road wheels: slightly distorted Road wheels | 3.8% |
| Exhaust system: minor leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | 3.5% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Citroën C1 gets older
A 2021 Citroën C1 failed 10.1% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2006 one failed 48.3%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2021 Citroën C1 10.1% failed, from 4,491 tests
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 17.6%
- Worn brake pads 16.3%
- Bulge in a tyre 9.5%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 9.2%
- Worn brake discs 8.4%
- Headlamp aim set too low 5.9%
2006 Citroën C1 48.3% failed, from 3,873 tests
- Headlamp aim out of line 19.4%
- Sidelight out 14.9%
- Weak or uneven footbrake 12.5%
- Structural corrosion 10.9%
- Brake light out 8.5%
- Exhaust leak 8.2%
Shares are of each year's failed tests. Every MOT a particular car has had, with the defects and advisories written at each test, is on GOV.UK's MOT history service from the registration, free.
Citroën C1 problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Citroën C1?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Position lamp: not working” is the most common: it appears on 12.0% of failed Citroën C1 tests. Across categories, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails one, on 44.5% of failed tests.
How often does a Citroën C1 fail its MOT?
31.1% of Citroën C1 tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 162,793 tests of cars aged three and over. Allowing for the age and mileage of the cars tested, that gives it a UK Motoring Reliability Score of 47 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Citroën C1 than on other cars?
Yes. “Service brake performance: excessively binding” appears on 10.7% of its failures against 2.9% for cars of the same age, and “Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded” appears on 6.0% of its failures against 1.7% for cars of the same age. Where an item is missing from the national figures for a year, we use the smallest share those figures show, so the comparison never overstates the difference.
Are these the same as breakdowns or known faults?
No. These are the items a tester recorded at the MOT, which covers condition and safety: lamps, brakes, tyres, suspension, corrosion and emissions. A gearbox that is unpleasant, an infotainment screen that has died, or a car that will not start on a cold morning are not part of the test, so they are not in these figures.
Where do the figures come from?
Every normal MOT test of a Citroën C1 aged three and over in Great Britain in 2025, from DVSA's anonymised MOT results. Retests are excluded, and the same fault on more than one wheel counts once.
Data stories to read next
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOT defects and advisories | Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2025 | 162,793 MOT tests | 19 September 2026 |
- Shares for defects are of failed tests; shares for advisories are of all tests. A test can carry several defects, so shares add to more than 100%.
- The expected share is what an average car of the same registration years records, weighted by where this model’s failures fall. Where an item is outside the national figures for a year, the smallest share those figures show is used in its place, which is an upper bound, so the comparison never overstates a model’s problems. No expectation is published where less than 80% of the model’s failures can be compared.
- Great Britain only: DVSA does not run MOT testing in Northern Ireland. Cars under three years old are not tested.
- The descriptions of what each part does are general and the same on every model. Every figure comes from the MOT data.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.