2025 MOT results
Vauxhall Adam common problems
The most common reason a Vauxhall Adam fails its MOT is a leaking damper, on 18.8% of its 20,169 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 4 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: a worn steering or suspension joint at 18.3% of failures against 1.9% expected; a leaking damper at 18.8% of failures against 2.9% expected; a rear fog lamp out at 5.0% of failures against 1.0% expected.
- Tests in 2025 58,762 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 34.3% 20,169 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 6.5% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 53.9% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Vauxhall Adam MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Vauxhall Adam 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 (10 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 | 18.8% |
| Track rod end: ball joint dust cover excessively damaged or deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Steering | 18.3% |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 16.4% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 7.0% |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | 6.2% |
| Sub-frame: corroded and seriously weakened Suspension | 5.7% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 5.6% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 5.4% |
| Rear fog lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 5.0% |
| Track rod end: ball joint dust cover insecure so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Steering | 4.4% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 4.3% |
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.0% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
-
Leaking damper
18.8% of failures 2.9% expected 6.5 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.
-
Worn steering or suspension joint
18.3% of failures 1.9% expected 9.6 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.
-
Broken coil spring
16.4% of failures 9.8% expected 1.7 times as 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 below the legal limit
7.0% 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.
-
Engine management light on
6.2% of failures 5.3% expected somewhat more often
The engine management light is on, or has been disconnected. Either fails the test.
A cheap code reader on the diagnostic socket will say what the car has stored before you pay for a test.
Which parts of the car fail
Suspension is the area that most often fails a Vauxhall Adam, on 45.4% of failed tests. The widest gap against cars of the same registration years is steering, on 24.9% against 6.5% 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 | 45.4% |
| Steering | 24.9% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 23.2% |
| Tyres | 18.4% |
| Brakes | 15.7% |
| Visibility | 13.1% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 8.5% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 7.0% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
53.9% of Vauxhall Adam tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Vauxhall Adams, 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 |
|---|---|
| Shock absorbers: light misting of oil Suspension | 17.0% |
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres | 15.6% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 15.4% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 7.8% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 5.7% |
| Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 4.9% |
| Macpherson strut: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 3.7% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 3.5% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 2.9% |
| Exhaust system: minor leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | 2.7% |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes | 2.4% |
| Nail in tyre Non-component advisories | 2.4% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Vauxhall Adam gets older
A 2019 Vauxhall Adam failed 22.0% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2013 one failed 37.1%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2019 Vauxhall Adam 22.0% failed, from 4,837 tests
- Leaking damper 23.3%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 13.2%
- Broken coil spring 9.5%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 8.2%
- Worn brake pads 7.9%
- Washers that do not work 7.1%
2013 Vauxhall Adam 37.1% failed, from 7,460 tests
- Broken coil spring 19.2%
- Leaking damper 15.5%
- Sub-frame corroded and seriously weakened 11.2%
- Engine management light on 8.5%
- Rear fog lamp out 7.6%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 5.7%
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.
Vauxhall Adam problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Vauxhall Adam?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak” is the most common: it appears on 18.8% of failed Vauxhall Adam tests. Across categories, suspension is the area that most often fails one, on 45.4% of failed tests.
How often does a Vauxhall Adam fail its MOT?
34.3% of Vauxhall Adam tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 58,762 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 36 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Vauxhall Adam than on other cars?
Yes. “Track rod end: ball joint dust cover excessively damaged or deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt” appears on 18.3% of its failures against 1.9% for cars of the same age, and “Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak” appears on 18.8% of its failures against 2.9% 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 Vauxhall Adam 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 | 58,762 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.