Nissan Micra MOT failure rate and common faults
205,041 Nissan Micra cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 35.0% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 32.6% of the time, which makes the Nissan Micra 8% more likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
35.0%
failed first time
205,041 MOT tests in 2025
+8%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 32.6%
153 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
90.4
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 116.7
What fails on a Nissan Micra 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 Nissan Micra MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn | Suspension | 60.9 |
| Position lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 54.2 |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 49.4 |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken | Suspension | 45.6 |
| Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps | Lights and electrics | 40.2 |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect | Lights and electrics | 37.0 |
| Ball joint excessively worn | Suspension | 35.5 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 28.6 |
| Service brake performance: excessively binding | Brakes | 22.7 |
| Individual direction indicators: incorrect colour | Lights and electrics | 22.3 |
Nissan Micra 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 5,909 | 9.0% | 11.4% | 18,100 |
| 2021 | 6,634 | 11.1% | 12.8% | 22,700 |
| 2020 | 6,183 | 18.0% | 14.1% | 27,800 |
| 2019 | 8,541 | 21.5% | 16.5% | 34,400 |
| 2018 | 9,972 | 30.2% | 19.1% | 43,100 |
| 2017 | 12,635 | 33.2% | 21.8% | 45,800 |
| 2016 | 10,656 | 26.6% | 25.1% | 41,100 |
| 2015 | 12,925 | 28.1% | 28.1% | 48,300 |
| 2014 | 13,997 | 31.0% | 31.4% | 52,500 |
| 2013 | 11,379 | 36.2% | 34.3% | 58,400 |
| 2012 | 11,290 | 37.9% | 36.6% | 64,100 |
| 2011 | 12,292 | 38.5% | 38.8% | 68,500 |
| 2010 | 14,895 | 41.0% | 40.7% | 76,100 |
| 2009 | 14,670 | 41.9% | 41.8% | 78,100 |
| 2008 | 13,214 | 42.3% | 42.9% | 82,300 |
| 2007 | 11,873 | 44.7% | 42.7% | 83,200 |
| 2006 | 15,258 | 46.5% | 43.0% | 87,400 |
| 2005 | 12,718 | 49.6% | 42.4% | 86,200 |
Advisories to look for in a Nissan Micra'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 Nissan Micra, per 1,000 tests. If the car you are looking at has one of these, ask whether it has been fixed since.
- Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement244.0
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing219.6
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge213.5
- Coil spring: corroded173.8
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened83.5
- Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive60.6
Checking a used Nissan Micra before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Nissan Micra fails more often than average on lights and electrics, suspension and windscreen, wipers and mirrors. 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.
Suspension
Drive over speed bumps with the radio off and listen for knocks. Look at the car side on: a corner sitting lower than the others often means a broken coil spring.
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.
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.
Nissan Micra MOT questions
What is the Nissan Micra MOT failure rate?
35.0% of Nissan Micra cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 205,041 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 32.6% of the time, so the Nissan Micra was 8% more likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Nissan Micra MOT?
Lights and electrics caused the most failure items, at 283 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn", recorded 60.9 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Nissan Micra year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2022 registrations did best: 9.0% failed against an average of 11.4% 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 Nissan Micra will pass?
No. These are averages across every Nissan Micra 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 Nissan models
- Nissan Qashqai31.1% failed
- Nissan Juke30.3% failed
- Nissan Note36.9% failed
- Nissan X-Trail30.1% failed
- Nissan Navara32.9% failed
- Nissan Leaf19.8% failed
Ranked close to the Nissan Micra
- Hyundai Santa Ferank 150
- Volvo V40rank 151
- Ford B-Maxrank 154
- Ford S-Maxrank 155
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 Nissan Micra 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.