2025 MOT results
Skoda Citigo common problems
The most common reason a Skoda Citigo fails its MOT is worn suspension bushes, on 9.5% of its 11,482 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 5 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: emissions above the limit at 5.8% of failures against 1.6% expected; a weak or uneven footbrake at 7.0% of failures against 2.1% expected; a number plate lamp out at 6.8% of failures against 3.1% expected.
- Tests in 2025 52,098 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 22.0% 11,482 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 4.3% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 44.6% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Skoda Citigo MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Skoda Citigo 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 |
|---|---|
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | 9.5% |
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 8.1% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 7.9% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 7.1% |
| Service brake performance: excessively binding Brakes | 7.0% |
| Headlamp aim: too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 6.9% |
| Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 6.8% |
| Fuel cap or sealing device: ineffective Body, chassis, structure | 6.2% |
| Catalyst emissions: lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | 5.8% |
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 5.5% |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 4.0% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 4.0% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
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Worn suspension bushes
9.5% of failures 4.5% 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.
-
Sidelight out
8.1% of failures 5.5% 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.
-
Wiper blades that do not clear the screen
7.9% of failures 6.1% 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
7.1% of failures 8.9% expected somewhat less often
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.
-
Weak or uneven footbrake
7.0% of failures 2.1% expected 3.3 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.
-
Headlamp aim set too low
6.9% of failures 4.0% expected 1.7 times as often
The dipped beam points lower than it should, so it lights too little of the 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 Skoda Citigo, on 35.3% of failed tests. The widest gap against cars of the same registration years is brakes, on 23.6% against 20.1% 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 | 35.3% |
| Brakes | 23.6% |
| Suspension | 20.9% |
| Tyres | 17.7% |
| Visibility | 15.3% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 11.0% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 11.0% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 1.9% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
44.6% of Skoda Citigo tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Skoda Citigos, 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 |
|---|---|
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 13.9% |
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres | 13.3% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 7.1% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 6.9% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 4.0% |
| Service brake performance: binding but not excessively Brakes | 3.1% |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes | 3.1% |
| Play in steering rack inner joint(s) Non-component advisories | 2.0% |
| Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material Brakes | 1.7% |
| Exhaust system: minor leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | 1.5% |
| Nail in tyre Non-component advisories | 1.4% |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle | 1.3% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Skoda Citigo gets older
A 2019 Skoda Citigo failed 11.8% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2012 one failed 24.9%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2019 Skoda Citigo 11.8% failed, from 4,523 tests
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 11.5%
- Headlamp aim set too low 10.9%
- Worn suspension bushes 9.6%
- Headlamp out 7.9%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 7.3%
- Cut tyre 6.4%
2012 Skoda Citigo 24.9% failed, from 3,705 tests
- Weak or uneven footbrake 10.4%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 9.1%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 7.4%
- Headlamp aim set too low 6.8%
- Worn suspension bushes 6.8%
- Fuel cap or sealing device ineffective 6.7%
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.
Skoda Citigo problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Skoda Citigo?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn” is the most common: it appears on 9.5% of failed Skoda Citigo tests. Across categories, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails one, on 35.3% of failed tests.
How often does a Skoda Citigo fail its MOT?
22.0% of Skoda Citigo tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 52,098 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 59 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Skoda Citigo than on other cars?
Yes. “Catalyst emissions: lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits” appears on 5.8% of its failures against 1.6% for cars of the same age, and “Service brake performance: excessively binding” appears on 7.0% of its failures against 2.1% 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 Skoda Citigo 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 | 52,098 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.