Nissan Pulsar MOT failure rate and common faults
20,803 Nissan Pulsar cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 29.3% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 25.3% of the time, which makes the Nissan Pulsar 16% more likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
29.3%
failed first time
20,803 MOT tests in 2025
+16%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 25.3%
172 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
122.1
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 95.7
What fails on a Nissan Pulsar 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 Pulsar MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Ball joint excessively worn | Suspension | 72.3 |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken | Suspension | 64.4 |
| Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play | Steering | 46.3 |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 41.9 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 35.7 |
| Position lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 23.0 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction | Engine, emissions and leaks | 17.2 |
| Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded | Brakes | 16.0 |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn | Suspension | 15.4 |
| Tyres: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords | Tyres | 13.2 |
Nissan Pulsar 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 2,001 | 21.1% | 19.1% | 46,100 |
| 2017 | 4,089 | 23.6% | 21.8% | 55,000 |
| 2016 | 6,105 | 28.9% | 25.1% | 64,600 |
| 2015 | 7,300 | 33.7% | 28.1% | 71,500 |
| 2014 | 1,296 | 37.6% | 31.4% | 77,900 |
Advisories to look for in a Nissan Pulsar'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 Pulsar, 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 edge276.2
- Brake pads: wearing thin176.6
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing124.9
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened119.9
- Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement118.0
- Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material66.8
Checking a used Nissan Pulsar before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Nissan Pulsar fails more often than average on suspension, brakes and steering. 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.
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.
Steering
With the engine running, rock the wheel gently: there should be almost no free play. Listen for knocks on full lock and look for power steering fluid leaks.
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 Pulsar cars tested: Petrol 69%, Diesel 31%. Average age at test 9.1 years, average recorded mileage 64,200.
Nissan Pulsar MOT questions
What is the Nissan Pulsar MOT failure rate?
29.3% of Nissan Pulsar cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 20,803 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 25.3% of the time, so the Nissan Pulsar was 16% more likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Nissan Pulsar MOT?
Suspension caused the most failure items, at 185 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Ball joint excessively worn", recorded 72.3 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Nissan Pulsar year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2017 registrations did best: 23.6% failed against an average of 21.8% 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 Pulsar will pass?
No. These are averages across every Nissan Pulsar 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 Navara32.9% failed
Ranked close to the Nissan Pulsar
- Ford Galaxyrank 170
- Hyundai i30rank 171
- Renault Twingorank 173
- Tesla Model 3rank 174
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 Pulsar 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.