Vauxhall Viva MOT failure rate and common faults
38,090 Vauxhall Viva cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 21.4% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 22.9% of the time, which makes the Vauxhall Viva 6% less likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
21.4%
failed first time
38,090 MOT tests in 2025
-6%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 22.9%
101 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
59.1
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 90.1
What fails on a Vauxhall Viva 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 Viva MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre pressure monitoring system: malfunctioning or obviously inoperative | Tyres | 61.4 |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 40.1 |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Suspension | 19.4 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 16.6 |
| Tyres: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure | Tyres | 13.8 |
| Tyres: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords | Tyres | 13.7 |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 13.3 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction | Engine, emissions and leaks | 12.1 |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 10.9 |
| Tyres: has ply or cords exposed | Tyres | 10.4 |
Vauxhall Viva 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 | 4,082 | 15.2% | 16.5% | 30,000 |
| 2018 | 5,470 | 15.7% | 19.1% | 35,000 |
| 2017 | 9,676 | 19.2% | 21.8% | 41,400 |
| 2016 | 13,758 | 24.7% | 25.1% | 46,500 |
| 2015 | 5,104 | 27.7% | 28.1% | 49,100 |
Advisories to look for in a Vauxhall Viva'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 Viva, 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 perishing264.0
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge167.8
- Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement74.2
- Exhaust system: mounting defective67.4
- Brake pads: wearing thin58.4
- Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive37.4
Checking a used Vauxhall Viva before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Vauxhall Viva fails more often than average on tyres and windscreen, wipers and mirrors. Start there.
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.
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 Viva MOT questions
What is the Vauxhall Viva MOT failure rate?
21.4% of Vauxhall Viva cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 38,090 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 22.9% of the time, so the Vauxhall Viva was 6% less likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Vauxhall Viva MOT?
Tyres caused the most failure items, at 122 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Tyre pressure monitoring system: malfunctioning or obviously inoperative", recorded 61.4 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Vauxhall Viva year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2018 registrations did best: 15.7% failed against an average of 19.1% 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 Vauxhall Viva will pass?
No. These are averages across every Vauxhall Viva 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 Viva
- Mazda CX-5rank 98
- Mitsubishi ASXrank 99
- Toyota Versorank 100
- SEAT Leonrank 102
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 Viva 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.