2025 MOT results
Nissan Note common problems
The most common reason a Nissan Note fails its MOT is a sidelight out, on 18.1% of its 54,116 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 6 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: worn suspension bushes at 11.0% of failures against 5.3% expected; a worn steering or suspension joint at 12.5% of failures against 6.2% expected; headlamp aim out of line at 10.6% of failures against 5.8% expected.
- Tests in 2025 146,830 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 36.9% 54,116 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 7.5% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 60.7% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Nissan Note MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Nissan Note 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 |
|---|---|
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 18.1% |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 13.8% |
| Stop lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 13.2% |
| Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn Suspension | 12.5% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | 11.0% |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 10.6% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 8.5% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 7.1% |
| Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 6.1% |
| Linkage ball joint excessively worn Suspension | 4.9% |
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.4% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 4.2% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
-
Sidelight out
18.1% of failures 11.2% expected 1.6 times as 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
13.8% of failures 10.3% expected somewhat more often
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.
-
Brake light out
13.2% of failures 8.0% expected 1.7 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.
-
Worn steering or suspension joint
12.5% of failures 6.2% expected 2 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.
-
Worn suspension bushes
11.0% of failures 5.3% expected 2.1 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.
-
Headlamp aim out of line
10.6% of failures 5.8% expected 1.8 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.
Which parts of the car fail
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails a Nissan Note, on 52.1% of failed tests. That is also where it differs most from cars of the same registration years, which record 42.7%.
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 | 52.1% |
| Suspension | 46.0% |
| Tyres | 15.7% |
| Brakes | 15.1% |
| Visibility | 14.9% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 8.7% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 8.2% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 4.8% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
60.7% of Nissan Note tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Nissan Notes, 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 | 18.1% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 15.3% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 11.5% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 9.6% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 9.2% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 6.3% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 5.5% |
| Suspension arms: ball joint has slight play Suspension | 3.5% |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle | 3.5% |
| Headlamp: product on the lens but not seriously reducing light output Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 3.3% |
| Exhaust system: minor leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | 3.3% |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes | 3.1% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Nissan Note gets older
A 2017 Nissan Note failed 18.4% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2006 one failed 50.1%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2017 Nissan Note 18.4% failed, from 5,198 tests
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 13.4%
- Sidelight out 10.1%
- Worn suspension bushes 8.7%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 8.6%
- Engine management light on 6.1%
- Worn brake pads 5.8%
2006 Nissan Note 50.1% failed, from 7,616 tests
- Headlamp aim out of line 20.7%
- Sidelight out 19.1%
- Brake light out 16.8%
- Broken coil spring 15.0%
- Worn steering or suspension joint 11.7%
- Worn suspension bushes 9.9%
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 Note problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Nissan Note?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Position lamp: not working” is the most common: it appears on 18.1% of failed Nissan Note tests. Across categories, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails one, on 52.1% of failed tests.
How often does a Nissan Note fail its MOT?
36.9% of Nissan Note tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 146,830 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 49 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Nissan Note than on other cars?
Yes. “Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn” appears on 11.0% of its failures against 5.3% for cars of the same age, and “Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn” appears on 12.5% of its failures against 6.2% 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 Note 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 | 146,830 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.