Nissan Note MOT failure rate and common faults
146,829 Nissan Note cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 36.9% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 35.8% of the time, which makes the Nissan Note 3% more likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
36.9%
failed first time
146,829 MOT tests in 2025
+3%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 35.8%
136 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
104.3
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 125.7
What fails on a Nissan Note 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 Note MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Position lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 79.4 |
| Ball joint excessively worn | Suspension | 58.2 |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken | Suspension | 55.3 |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect | Lights and electrics | 54.1 |
| Stop lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 53.0 |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn | Suspension | 51.6 |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 39.2 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 34.0 |
| Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps | Lights and electrics | 25.4 |
| Linkage ball joints: ball joint excessively worn | Suspension | 21.4 |
Nissan Note 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 5,198 | 18.4% | 21.8% | 47,400 |
| 2016 | 10,755 | 18.1% | 25.1% | 50,500 |
| 2015 | 14,945 | 21.7% | 28.1% | 59,300 |
| 2014 | 21,776 | 27.9% | 31.4% | 66,700 |
| 2013 | 11,775 | 36.4% | 34.3% | 74,300 |
| 2012 | 11,494 | 41.2% | 36.6% | 78,900 |
| 2011 | 11,594 | 43.0% | 38.8% | 86,100 |
| 2010 | 13,447 | 44.4% | 40.7% | 92,000 |
| 2009 | 13,990 | 45.2% | 41.8% | 94,300 |
| 2008 | 13,750 | 48.3% | 42.9% | 99,700 |
| 2007 | 10,432 | 49.2% | 42.7% | 102,300 |
| 2006 | 7,616 | 50.1% | 43.0% | 106,100 |
Advisories to look for in a Nissan Note'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 Note, 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 edge255.7
- Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement210.3
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing168.0
- Coil spring: corroded142.9
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened116.8
- Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive63.3
Checking a used Nissan Note before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Nissan Note fails more often than average on lights and electrics, suspension and seat belts and airbags. 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.
Seat belts and airbags
Pull every seat belt out fully and let it retract, check each buckle latches, and make sure the airbag warning light goes out after starting.
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 Nissan Note cars tested: Petrol 86%, Diesel 14%. Average age at test 13.4 years, average recorded mileage 79,800.
Nissan Note MOT questions
What is the Nissan Note MOT failure rate?
36.9% of Nissan Note cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 146,829 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 35.8% of the time, so the Nissan Note was 3% more likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Nissan Note MOT?
Lights and electrics caused the most failure items, at 330 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Position lamp: not working", recorded 79.4 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Nissan Note year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2016 registrations did best: 18.1% failed against an average of 25.1% 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 Nissan Note will pass?
No. These are averages across every Nissan Note 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 X-Trail30.1% failed
- Nissan Navara32.9% failed
- Nissan Leaf19.8% failed
Ranked close to the Nissan Note
- Vauxhall Agilarank 133
- Skoda Rapidrank 134
- Ford Karank 135
- Kia Sportagerank 137
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 Note 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.