Vauxhall Adam MOT failure rate and common faults
58,762 Vauxhall Adam cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 34.3% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 26.6% of the time, which makes the Vauxhall Adam 29% more likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
34.3%
failed first time
58,762 MOT tests in 2025
+29%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 26.6%
195 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
87.6
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 99.4
What fails on a Vauxhall Adam 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 Vauxhall Adam MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Track rod end: ball joint dust cover excessively damaged or deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Steering | 88.7 |
| Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak | Suspension | 76.4 |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken | Suspension | 62.5 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 30.5 |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 22.8 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction | Engine, emissions and leaks | 21.3 |
| Track rod end: ball joint dust cover insecure so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Steering | 20.4 |
| Sub-frame: corroded and seriously weakened | Suspension | 20.1 |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 19.3 |
| Rear fog lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 17.1 |
Vauxhall Adam 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 4,837 | 22.0% | 16.5% | 32,900 |
| 2018 | 5,468 | 28.5% | 19.1% | 40,900 |
| 2017 | 7,533 | 33.3% | 21.8% | 48,700 |
| 2016 | 9,439 | 34.6% | 25.1% | 53,700 |
| 2015 | 10,788 | 36.7% | 28.1% | 59,200 |
| 2014 | 13,191 | 38.1% | 31.4% | 66,200 |
| 2013 | 7,460 | 37.1% | 34.3% | 71,900 |
Advisories to look for in a Vauxhall Adam'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 Vauxhall Adam, per 1,000 tests. If the car you are looking at has one of these, ask whether it has been fixed since.
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing231.3
- Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil219.8
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge213.6
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened95.7
- Brake pads: wearing thin63.6
- Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened50.1
Checking a used Vauxhall Adam before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Vauxhall Adam fails more often than average on suspension, steering and windscreen, wipers and mirrors. 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.
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.
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.
Vauxhall Adam MOT questions
What is the Vauxhall Adam MOT failure rate?
34.3% of Vauxhall Adam cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 58,762 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 26.6% of the time, so the Vauxhall Adam was 29% more likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Vauxhall Adam MOT?
Suspension caused the most failure items, at 215 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Track rod end: ball joint dust cover excessively damaged or deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt", recorded 88.7 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Vauxhall Adam year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2013 registrations did best: 37.1% failed against an average of 34.3% 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 Vauxhall Adam will pass?
No. These are averages across every Vauxhall Adam 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 Vauxhall models
- Vauxhall Corsa35.2% failed
- Vauxhall Astra33.9% failed
- Vauxhall Mokka30.9% failed
- Vauxhall Insignia32.6% failed
- Vauxhall Vivaro41.7% failed
- Vauxhall Zafira38.2% failed
Ranked close to the Vauxhall Adam
- Fiat 500Lrank 192
- MG ZSrank 193
- Renault Kadjarrank 194
- Renault Meganerank 196
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 Vauxhall Adam 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.