Nissan Navara MOT failure rate and common faults
68,022 Nissan Navara pickups aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 32.9% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 25.5% of the time, which makes the Nissan Navara 29% more likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
32.9%
failed first time
68,022 MOT tests in 2025
+29%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 25.5%
12 of 24
age adjusted rank
among vans and pickups; 1 fails least
97.4
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 97.3
What fails on a Nissan Navara 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 Navara MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Coil spring: fractured or broken | Suspension | 81.5 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction | Engine, emissions and leaks | 48.3 |
| Position lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 42.6 |
| Ball joint excessively worn | Suspension | 40.8 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 33.3 |
| Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play | Steering | 29.1 |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 27.0 |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 24.6 |
| Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded | Brakes | 23.8 |
| Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Body, chassis, exhaust and drive shafts | 20.0 |
Nissan Navara 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 6,881 | 17.6% | 12.8% | 53,700 |
| 2020 | 4,143 | 22.1% | 14.1% | 62,800 |
| 2019 | 7,174 | 25.8% | 16.5% | 73,100 |
| 2018 | 7,653 | 29.8% | 19.1% | 83,200 |
| 2017 | 8,664 | 31.8% | 21.8% | 88,700 |
| 2016 | 7,568 | 29.7% | 25.1% | 96,900 |
| 2015 | 3,794 | 39.0% | 28.1% | 103,800 |
| 2014 | 3,354 | 41.3% | 31.4% | 110,900 |
| 2013 | 3,264 | 41.7% | 34.3% | 120,100 |
| 2012 | 3,073 | 46.4% | 36.6% | 126,700 |
| 2011 | 3,507 | 43.8% | 38.8% | 135,900 |
| 2010 | 1,675 | 43.7% | 40.7% | 135,000 |
| 2009 | 1,501 | 45.0% | 41.8% | 124,300 |
| 2008 | 1,421 | 43.7% | 42.9% | 129,900 |
| 2007 | 1,761 | 43.8% | 42.7% | 128,100 |
| 2006 | 1,498 | 44.2% | 43.0% | 142,400 |
| 2005 | 964 | 45.0% | 42.4% | 138,700 |
Advisories to look for in a Nissan Navara'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 Navara, 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 edge251.9
- Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material111.6
- Ball joint has slight play96.4
- Brake pads: wearing thin89.3
- Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive88.4
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened87.4
Checking a used Nissan Navara before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Nissan Navara fails more often than average on suspension, lights and electrics and brakes. Start there.
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.
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.
Brakes
Look through the wheel spokes at the discs for a deep lip or scoring, check the handbrake holds the car on a slope, and feel for a pull to one side when braking hard.
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 Navara MOT questions
What is the Nissan Navara MOT failure rate?
32.9% of Nissan Navara pickups failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 68,022 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 25.5% of the time, so the Nissan Navara was 29% more likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Nissan Navara MOT?
Suspension caused the most failure items, at 221 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Coil spring: fractured or broken", recorded 81.5 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Nissan Navara year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2008 registrations did best: 43.7% failed against an average of 42.9% 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 Navara will pass?
No. These are averages across every Nissan Navara 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 Micra35.0% failed
- Nissan Note36.9% failed
- Nissan X-Trail30.1% failed
- Nissan Leaf19.8% failed
Ranked close to the Nissan Navara
- Ford Transitrank 9
- Ford Transit Connectrank 10
- Ford Rangerrank 11
- Peugeot Expertrank 13
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 Navara pickups 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.