2025 MOT results
Citroën C3 common problems
The most common reason a Citroën C3 fails its MOT is a brake light out, on 11.9% of its 73,479 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 6 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: a exhaust system insecure at 4.6% of failures against 0.9% expected; a split joint boot at 11.7% of failures against 4.3% expected; a brake light out at 11.9% of failures against 6.2% expected.
- Tests in 2025 231,207 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 31.8% 73,479 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 6.9% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 56.1% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Citroën C3 MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Citroën C3 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 (12 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 |
|---|---|
| Stop lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 11.9% |
| Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | 11.7% |
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 10.9% |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 9.1% |
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 8.0% |
| Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn Suspension | 7.2% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 6.9% |
| Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play Steering | 6.6% |
| Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 6.0% |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.9% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 4.9% |
| Exhaust system insecure Body, chassis, structure | 4.6% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
-
Brake light out
11.9% of failures 6.2% expected 1.9 times as often
A brake light not working, from a bulb, a poor earth, or the switch on the pedal.
Reverse up to a wall or window at dusk and press the pedal to see all three lamps light.
-
Split joint boot
11.7% of failures 4.3% expected 2.7 times as often
A split rubber boot on a joint or driveshaft. The joint may still be sound, but dirt and water get in once the boot is open.
Turn the wheels to full lock and look behind them for greasy splits in the rubber concertina.
-
Sidelight out
10.9% of failures 8.3% 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.
-
Broken coil spring
9.1% of failures 9.1% expected about as expected
A broken suspension spring, which usually snaps in the bottom coil and often fails on both sides within a year.
Look at each corner for a sagging ride height, and listen for a knock over speed bumps.
-
Headlamp out
8.0% of failures 5.0% expected 1.6 times as often
A headlamp out on dipped beam, which is the beam the test checks.
Both bulbs age at the same rate, so a pair usually goes within months of each other.
-
Worn steering or suspension joint
7.2% of failures 5.2% expected somewhat more often
Play in a steering or suspension joint, where a worn ball and socket lets the wheel move where it should not.
A knock at low speed over rough ground, or vague steering, is the usual warning.
Which parts of the car fail
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails a Citroën C3, on 46.9% of failed tests. The widest gap against cars of the same registration years is body, chassis, structure, on 21.6% against 10.5% 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 | 46.9% |
| Suspension | 29.0% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 21.6% |
| Tyres | 18.7% |
| Brakes | 18.0% |
| Visibility | 14.1% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 12.2% |
| Steering | 8.2% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
56.1% of Citroën C3 tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Citroën C3s, 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 | 18.0% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 15.1% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 11.9% |
| Exhaust system: mounting defective Body, chassis, structure | 7.0% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 6.6% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 6.4% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 5.8% |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes | 4.4% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 2.8% |
| Exhaust system: minor leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | 2.8% |
| Individual direction indicators: slightly discoloured Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 2.7% |
| Service brake performance: binding but not excessively Brakes | 2.3% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Citroën C3 gets older
A 2022 Citroën C3 failed 8.1% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2004 one failed 49.4%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2022 Citroën C3 8.1% failed, from 13,701 tests
- Cut tyre 17.8%
- Worn brake pads 11.2%
- Headlamp aim set too high 8.2%
- Worn brake discs 6.9%
- Tyre worn through to the cords 6.1%
- Washers that do not work 6.0%
2004 Citroën C3 49.4% failed, from 2,428 tests
- Headlamp aim out of line 14.9%
- Structural corrosion 14.1%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 11.6%
- Brake light out 11.1%
- Headlamp out 10.7%
- Sidelight out 8.7%
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 C3 problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Citroën C3?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Stop lamp: not working” is the most common: it appears on 11.9% of failed Citroën C3 tests. Across categories, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails one, on 46.9% of failed tests.
How often does a Citroën C3 fail its MOT?
31.8% of Citroën C3 tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 231,207 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 40 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Citroën C3 than on other cars?
Yes. “Exhaust system insecure” appears on 4.6% of its failures against 0.9% for cars of the same age, and “Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt” appears on 11.7% of its failures against 4.3% 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 C3 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 | 231,207 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.