Citroen C4 Cactus MOT failure rate and common faults
21,184 Citroen C4 Cactus cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 30.1% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 20.0% of the time, which makes the Citroen C4 Cactus 51% more likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
30.1%
failed first time
21,184 MOT tests in 2025
+51%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 20.0%
208 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
91.1
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 83.4
What fails on a Citroen C4 Cactus MOT
Failure items recorded per 1,000 tests, by part of the car, set against an average car with exactly the same spread of ages. A figure well above average is a weak spot worth checking before you buy.
The most common Citroen C4 Cactus MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 57.7 |
| Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Body, chassis, exhaust and drive shafts | 44.1 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 37.2 |
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam | Lights and electrics | 35.1 |
| Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps | Lights and electrics | 29.0 |
| Ball joint excessively worn | Suspension | 24.8 |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 23.2 |
| Stop lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 22.3 |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect | Lights and electrics | 17.6 |
| Headlamp aim: too low | Lights and electrics | 16.3 |
Citroen C4 Cactus MOT failure rate by year
Every car fails more often as it ages, so each registration year is compared with the average for all cars of the same age. Years with fewer than 500 tests are left out.
| First registered | Tests | Failed | Same age average | Average mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1,899 | 18.5% | 14.1% | 33,100 |
| 2019 | 3,884 | 25.1% | 16.5% | 42,700 |
| 2018 | 5,369 | 28.9% | 19.1% | 50,600 |
| 2017 | 5,801 | 33.9% | 21.8% | 58,700 |
| 2016 | 3,461 | 37.6% | 25.1% | 67,600 |
Advisories to look for in a Citroen C4 Cactus's MOT history
An advisory is a tester's warning that something is wearing but has not failed yet. These are the ones written most often on the Citroen C4 Cactus, per 1,000 tests. If the car you are looking at has one of these, ask whether it has been fixed since.
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge270.2
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing207.3
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened146.0
- Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement111.5
- Exhaust system: mounting defective89.7
- Brake pads: wearing thin64.7
Checking a used Citroen C4 Cactus before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Citroen C4 Cactus fails more often than average on lights and electrics, windscreen, wipers and mirrors and body, chassis, exhaust and drive shafts. Start there.
Lights and electrics
Walk round the car with every light on: headlights on dip and main beam, indicators, brake lights, fog lights and the number plate lamp. A pattern of electrical faults costs more than a bulb.
Windscreen, wipers and mirrors
Look for chips or cracks in the driver's line of sight, and test the wipers and washers. Windscreen damage in the swept area is an MOT failure.
Body, chassis, exhaust and drive shafts
Turn the steering to full lock and look behind each front wheel: the rubber boots on the drive shafts should be whole, with no grease sprayed around. Then get down with a torch and check the exhaust hangers, sills, floor and subframes for rust.
Averages only take you so far. The specific car's MOT history shows whether it has already failed on any of these, how often advisories were ignored, and whether the mileage climbs steadily from test to test. Read our guide to reading a car's MOT history before you go to view it.
Fuel mix of the Citroen C4 Cactus cars tested: Petrol 74%, Diesel 26%. Average age at test 7.3 years, average recorded mileage 52,900.
Citroen C4 Cactus MOT questions
What is the Citroen C4 Cactus MOT failure rate?
30.1% of Citroen C4 Cactus cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 21,184 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 20.0% of the time, so the Citroen C4 Cactus was 51% more likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Citroen C4 Cactus MOT?
Lights and electrics caused the most failure items, at 176 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively", recorded 57.7 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Citroen C4 Cactus year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2020 registrations did best: 18.5% failed against an average of 14.1% for cars that age. Older cars always fail more often, so compare a year with its age group rather than with newer cars.
Does this tell me whether a particular Citroen C4 Cactus will pass?
No. These are averages across every Citroen C4 Cactus tested in 2025. The car in front of you has its own record: its full MOT history shows every pass, failure and advisory it has had, and it is free to view by registration.
Other Citroen models
- Citroen C334.5% failed
- Citroen Berlingo40.6% failed
- Citroen C131.1% failed
- Citroen C439.6% failed
- Citroen DS348.2% failed
- Citroen Dispatch39.6% failed
Ranked close to the Citroen C4 Cactus
- Dacia Sanderorank 205
- Dacia Dusterrank 206
- DS DS3rank 207
How these figures are calculated
Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2025 release. We count first tests of cars and small vans (class 4) aged 3 to 20, so a car that fails and is retested is counted once. A failure includes faults fixed and passed within the same visit. The same age average weights the national failure rate for each age by how many Citroen C4 Cactus cars of that age were tested, so a model is never penalised for having an older fleet. Make and model are as recorded at the test; trim levels are combined. Full method and rankings.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.