2025 MOT results
Skoda Superb common problems
The most common reason a Skoda Superb fails its MOT is a leaking damper, on 12.6% of its 14,625 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 5 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: a leaking damper at 12.6% of failures against 2.9% expected; worn suspension bushes at 9.1% of failures against 4.0% expected; a bulge in a tyre at 3.5% of failures against 2.0% expected.
- Tests in 2025 64,844 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 22.6% 14,625 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 7.1% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 50.0% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Skoda Superb MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Skoda Superb 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 |
|---|---|
| Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak Suspension | 12.6% |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 11.2% |
| Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres | 9.3% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | 9.1% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 8.7% |
| Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 8.3% |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | 8.0% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 6.1% |
| Headlamp aim: too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.7% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 4.4% |
| Headlamp aim: too high Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 3.8% |
| Tyres: bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | 3.5% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
-
Leaking damper
12.6% of failures 2.9% expected 4.3 times as often
A damper leaking its oil, so it no longer controls the spring.
A wet, dirty streak down the damper body, or a corner that keeps bouncing after you push it down.
-
Broken coil spring
11.2% of failures 8.5% 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.
-
Tyre worn through to the cords
9.3% of failures 5.4% expected 1.7 times as often
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
9.1% of failures 4.0% expected 2.3 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.
-
Tyre worn below the legal limit
8.7% of failures 9.1% 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
8.3% of failures 6.6% 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.
Which parts of the car fail
Suspension is the area that most often fails a Skoda Superb, on 41.5% of failed tests. That is also where it differs most from cars of the same registration years, which record 27.8%.
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 | 41.5% |
| Tyres | 32.9% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 24.3% |
| Brakes | 15.9% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 9.8% |
| Visibility | 8.1% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 4.6% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 3.1% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
50.0% of Skoda Superb tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Skoda Superbs, 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 | 19.5% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 11.3% |
| Shock absorbers: light misting of oil Suspension | 8.6% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 7.6% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 5.3% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 4.8% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 3.1% |
| Suspension arm: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 3.0% |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle | 2.6% |
| Child seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt Non-component advisories | 2.3% |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes | 2.2% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 2.1% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Skoda Superb gets older
A 2022 Skoda Superb failed 12.0% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2011 one failed 36.5%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2022 Skoda Superb 12.0% failed, from 3,099 tests
- Worn brake pads 17.2%
- Cut tyre 14.2%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 12.6%
- Headlamp aim set too high 11.3%
- Leaking damper 9.9%
- Tyre worn through to the cords 9.4%
2011 Skoda Superb 36.5% failed, from 2,489 tests
- Broken coil spring 15.2%
- Worn suspension bushes 13.9%
- Split joint boot 9.8%
- Tyre worn through to the cords 8.6%
- Sidelight out 7.4%
- Engine management light on 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 Superb problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Skoda Superb?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak” is the most common: it appears on 12.6% of failed Skoda Superb tests. Across categories, suspension is the area that most often fails one, on 41.5% of failed tests.
How often does a Skoda Superb fail its MOT?
22.6% of Skoda Superb tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 64,844 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 55 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Skoda Superb than on other cars?
Yes. “Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak” appears on 12.6% of its failures against 2.9% for cars of the same age, and “Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn” appears on 9.1% of its failures against 4.0% 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 Skoda Superb 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 | 64,844 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.