2025 MOT results
Nissan Leaf common problems
The most common reason a Nissan Leaf fails its MOT is a worn steering or suspension joint, on 20.8% of its 10,474 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 3 faults stand out: a worn steering or suspension joint at 20.8% of failures against 3.7% expected; a weak handbrake at 3.8% of failures against 2.0% expected; worn suspension bushes at 5.2% of failures against 3.4% expected.
- Tests in 2025 52,865 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 19.8% 10,474 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 6.0% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 45.4% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Nissan Leaf MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Nissan Leaf 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 |
|---|---|
| Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn Suspension | 20.8% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 11.4% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 10.6% |
| Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 10.2% |
| Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres | 6.5% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | 5.2% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 5.0% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 4.7% |
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.6% |
| Linkage ball joint excessively worn Suspension | 4.0% |
| Parking brake efficiency below requirements Brakes | 3.8% |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 3.8% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
-
Worn steering or suspension joint
20.8% of failures 3.7% expected 5.6 times as 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.
-
Wiper blades that do not clear the screen
11.4% of failures 8.9% 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.
-
Tyre worn below the legal limit
10.6% of failures 9.7% 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.
-
Cut tyre
10.2% of failures 8.7% expected somewhat more often
A cut in the tyre deep or long enough to reach the structure underneath, usually from a kerb or debris.
Run a hand round the inner and outer walls of each tyre, which is where kerbing shows.
-
Tyre worn through to the cords
6.5% of failures 6.0% expected about as expected
The tyre is worn or damaged far enough to expose the cords underneath, which is a dangerous defect.
Run a hand round the inner and outer walls of each tyre, which is where kerbing shows.
-
Worn suspension bushes
5.2% of failures 3.4% expected 1.5 times as often
Worn rubber bushes in a suspension arm, letting the arm move under load.
Perished or cracked rubber at the inner ends of the lower arms, visible with the wheel turned.
Which parts of the car fail
Suspension is the area that most often fails a Nissan Leaf, on 36.3% of failed tests. That is also where it differs most from cars of the same registration years, which record 22.1%.
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 |
|---|---|
| Suspension | 36.3% |
| Tyres | 33.8% |
| Brakes | 19.3% |
| Visibility | 18.8% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 18.0% |
| Steering | 4.1% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 1.7% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 1.6% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
45.4% of Nissan Leaf tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Nissan Leafs, 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 | 17.7% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 12.0% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 9.7% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 7.0% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 5.3% |
| Child seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt Non-component advisories | 2.7% |
| Suspension arms: ball joint has slight play Suspension | 2.7% |
| Nail in tyre Non-component advisories | 2.1% |
| Tyres: cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 1.9% |
| Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material Brakes | 1.4% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 1.4% |
| Road wheels: slightly distorted Road wheels | 1.3% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Nissan Leaf gets older
A 2022 Nissan Leaf failed 9.1% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2014 one failed 39.6%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2022 Nissan Leaf 9.1% failed, from 8,622 tests
- Cut tyre 23.3%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 15.3%
- Tyre worn through to the cords 9.3%
- Bulge in a tyre 9.1%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 9.1%
- Washers that do not work 7.5%
2014 Nissan Leaf 39.6% failed, from 2,963 tests
- Worn steering or suspension joint 31.3%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 10.7%
- Sidelight out 10.6%
- Weak handbrake 8.5%
- Worn suspension bushes 7.9%
- Tyre worn through to the cords 7.6%
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.
Nissan Leaf problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Nissan Leaf?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn” is the most common: it appears on 20.8% of failed Nissan Leaf tests. Across categories, suspension is the area that most often fails one, on 36.3% of failed tests.
How often does a Nissan Leaf fail its MOT?
19.8% of Nissan Leaf tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 52,865 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 39 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Nissan Leaf than on other cars?
Yes. “Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn” appears on 20.8% of its failures against 3.7% for cars of the same age, and “Parking brake efficiency below requirements” appears on 3.8% of its failures against 2.0% 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 Nissan Leaf 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 | 52,865 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.