Porsche Cayenne MOT failure rate and common faults
30,252 Porsche Cayenne cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 14.3% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 26.3% of the time, which makes the Porsche Cayenne 46% less likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
14.3%
failed first time
30,252 MOT tests in 2025
-46%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 26.3%
4 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
60.0
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 98.8
What fails on a Porsche Cayenne 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 Porsche Cayenne 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 | 27.2 |
| Tyres: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords | Tyres | 20.0 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 17.9 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction | Engine, emissions and leaks | 13.3 |
| Tyres: has ply or cords exposed | Tyres | 11.7 |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 9.9 |
| Headlamp aim: too high | Lights and electrics | 9.5 |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 8.3 |
| Registration plates: does not conform to the specified requirements | Number plates and VIN | 7.3 |
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam | Lights and electrics | 7.1 |
Porsche Cayenne 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 | 2,434 | 6.4% | 11.4% | 26,100 |
| 2021 | 1,576 | 6.3% | 12.8% | 33,800 |
| 2020 | 2,358 | 8.9% | 14.1% | 41,400 |
| 2019 | 3,218 | 8.6% | 16.5% | 46,700 |
| 2018 | 1,826 | 11.3% | 19.1% | 59,200 |
| 2017 | 1,763 | 12.7% | 21.8% | 71,000 |
| 2016 | 2,779 | 14.5% | 25.1% | 78,200 |
| 2015 | 2,325 | 14.7% | 28.1% | 85,400 |
| 2014 | 1,859 | 15.2% | 31.4% | 93,600 |
| 2013 | 2,150 | 16.6% | 34.3% | 101,700 |
| 2012 | 1,911 | 16.3% | 36.6% | 107,800 |
| 2011 | 1,195 | 19.7% | 38.8% | 114,700 |
| 2010 | 853 | 17.4% | 40.7% | 117,500 |
| 2009 | 794 | 26.9% | 41.8% | 120,900 |
| 2008 | 558 | 24.0% | 42.9% | 110,100 |
| 2007 | 658 | 26.6% | 42.7% | 115,000 |
| 2006 | 818 | 26.3% | 43.0% | 120,600 |
| 2005 | 1,177 | 28.3% | 42.4% | 123,900 |
Advisories to look for in a Porsche Cayenne'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 Porsche Cayenne, 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 edge232.8
- Brake pads: wearing thin124.8
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened54.9
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing53.6
- Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive43.6
- Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement34.3
Checking a used Porsche Cayenne before you buy
The Porsche Cayenne has no part of the car that fails well above average for its age, so check the areas that fail most often overall.
Tyres
Check the tread across the full width of every tyre, inner edge included. Uneven wear points to worn suspension or out of line steering geometry.
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.
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 Porsche Cayenne cars tested: Diesel 41%, Petrol 41%, Hybrid 18%. Average age at test 9.7 years, average recorded mileage 76,900.
Porsche Cayenne MOT questions
What is the Porsche Cayenne MOT failure rate?
14.3% of Porsche Cayenne cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 30,252 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 26.3% of the time, so the Porsche Cayenne was 46% less likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Porsche Cayenne MOT?
Tyres caused the most failure items, at 68 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Coil spring: fractured or broken", recorded 27.2 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Porsche Cayenne year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2012 registrations did best: 16.3% failed against an average of 36.6% 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 Porsche Cayenne will pass?
No. These are averages across every Porsche Cayenne 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 Porsche models
- Porsche Macan9.3% failed
- Porsche 9118.0% failed
Ranked close to the Porsche Cayenne
- Lexus NXrank 3
- Mercedes-Benz S-Classrank 5
- Lexus CTrank 6
- Honda HR-Vrank 7
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 Porsche Cayenne 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.