2025 MOT results
Nissan Qashqai common problems
The most common reason a Nissan Qashqai fails its MOT is a worn steering or suspension joint, on 16.1% of its 185,935 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 3 faults stand out: a worn steering or suspension joint at 16.1% of failures against 3.7% expected; a split joint boot at 5.6% of failures against 1.8% expected; worn brake pads at 12.2% of failures against 6.8% expected.
- Tests in 2025 599,124 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 31.0% 185,935 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 9.0% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 55.8% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Nissan Qashqai MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Nissan Qashqai 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 |
|---|---|
| Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play Steering | 16.1% |
| Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn Suspension | 13.4% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 12.2% |
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 11.2% |
| Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | 10.6% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 8.6% |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 8.4% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | 6.1% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 5.9% |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | 5.7% |
| Suspension arms: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Suspension | 5.6% |
| Linkage ball joint excessively worn Suspension | 5.6% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
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Worn steering or suspension joint
16.1% of failures 3.7% expected 4.4 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 steering or suspension joint
13.4% of failures 5.4% expected 2.5 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 brake pads
12.2% of failures 6.8% expected 1.8 times as often
Friction material worn under 1.5mm, thinner than the point most manufacturers call the limit.
Look through the wheel spokes at the pad against the disc; wear indicators squeal before they get this far.
-
Sidelight out
11.2% of failures 7.7% expected 1.5 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.
-
Split joint boot
10.6% of failures 4.1% expected 2.6 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.
-
Tyre worn below the legal limit
8.6% of failures 8.5% 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.
Which parts of the car fail
Suspension is the area that most often fails a Nissan Qashqai, on 41.7% of failed tests. The widest gap against cars of the same registration years is steering, on 20.6% against 6.6% 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 |
|---|---|
| Suspension | 41.7% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 30.8% |
| Brakes | 23.8% |
| Steering | 20.6% |
| Tyres | 18.6% |
| Visibility | 15.2% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 13.8% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 8.5% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
55.8% of Nissan Qashqai tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Nissan Qashqais, 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 | 18.3% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 14.8% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 10.5% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 10.2% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 8.6% |
| Track rod end: ball joint has slight play Steering | 4.6% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 4.0% |
| Child seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt Non-component advisories | 3.9% |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes | 3.0% |
| Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 2.9% |
| Suspension arms: ball joint has slight play Suspension | 2.9% |
| Suspension arm: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 2.9% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Nissan Qashqai gets older
A 2022 Nissan Qashqai failed 10.1% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2007 one failed 54.5%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2022 Nissan Qashqai 10.1% failed, from 42,699 tests
- Worn brake pads 19.6%
- Headlamp aim set too high 16.1%
- Cut tyre 13.9%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 12.7%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 11.6%
- Worn steering or suspension joint 5.8%
2007 Nissan Qashqai 54.5% failed, from 7,566 tests
- Worn steering or suspension joint 26.2%
- Sidelight out 22.6%
- Split joint boot 17.9%
- Brake light out 11.4%
- Airbag light on 8.9%
- Worn brake pads 8.6%
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 Qashqai problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Nissan Qashqai?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play” is the most common: it appears on 16.1% of failed Nissan Qashqai tests. Across categories, suspension is the area that most often fails one, on 41.7% of failed tests.
How often does a Nissan Qashqai fail its MOT?
31.0% of Nissan Qashqai tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 599,124 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 Nissan Qashqai than on other cars?
Yes. “Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play” appears on 16.1% of its failures against 3.7% for cars of the same age, and “Suspension arms: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt” appears on 5.6% of its failures against 1.8% 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 Qashqai 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 | 599,124 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.