Vauxhall Cavalier MOT Pass Rate
Overall pass rate across all manufacture years, based on 138,348 real MOT test results. Failure rate: 52.6%.
Data from official DVSA MOT testing records
Vauxhall Cavalier MOT Reliability Overview
The Vauxhall Cavalier is a well-known vehicle in the UK, with 138,348 MOT test results recorded in our database spanning 23 manufacture years. It has an overall MOT pass rate of 47.4% and a failure rate of 52.6%, which is significantly below the UK average of approximately 37%.
Based on this data, the Vauxhall Cavalier earns a "Very Poor" reliability rating. The average Vauxhall Cavalier presents for MOT with approximately 113,266 miles on the clock. Manufacture year matters: 1979 models achieve the highest pass rate at 76.4%, while 1971 models have the lowest at 42.1%. This 34.3 percentage point difference suggests notable variation in build quality or component durability across production years.
The most common MOT failure for the Vauxhall Cavalier is Suspension, affecting 45.5% of all tests. Suspension failures typically involve worn bushes, leaking shock absorbers, broken coil springs, and damaged suspension arms. These affect ride quality, tyre wear, and road holding. The second most common issue is Brakes at 36.4%. Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment rounds out the top three at 27.2%. Together, these top 3 failure categories account for a significant portion of all MOT failures for this model.
Top failures across all manufacture years combined. Individual year pages may show different top failures.
What Fails Most
Best Year to Buy
📈 How Each Vintage Ages
Tracking how each manufacture year's MOT pass rate changes as the car ages. Showing 10 vintages — click year chips to highlight.
Multi-line chart showing how different Vauxhall Cavalier vintages degrade over time, from age 3 to 38 years.
Only vintages with 100+ tests in at least 3 different test years are shown. Fleet average is the UK-wide pass rate for all cars at each age.
📉 How Age Affects Reliability
MOT failure rate by vehicle age for the Vauxhall Cavalier. The dashed red line marks when the manufacturer warranty typically expires (3 years).
Line chart showing MOT failure rate by vehicle age from 13 to 20 years, with warranty expiry marked at 3 years.
💡 What does the warranty cliff mean?
The Vauxhall Cavalier shows a relatively stable failure rate after warranty — the change of 0% is negligible. Peak failure occurs at age 13 (60.7% fail rate).
Note: pass rates may improve for very old vehicles due to survivorship bias — only well-maintained cars remain on the road.
Pass Rate by Manufacture Year
* High Fail Rate badge indicates an MOT pass rate below 65% (failure rate above 35%).
What Fails on This Car?
Click a category to see specific failure items.
View as table
| Rank | Failure Category | Rate (%) | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 82.7% | 114,456 |
| 2 | Brakes | 66.9% | 92,543 |
| 3 | Lamps, Reflectors And Electrical Equipment | 42.7% | 59,054 |
| 4 | Exhaust, Fuel And Emissions | 26.2% | 36,181 |
| 5 | Tyres | 23.9% | 33,041 |
| 6 | Driver's View Of The Road | 15.5% | 21,512 |
| 7 | Body, Structure And General Items | 11.6% | 15,999 |
| 8 | Seat Belts And Supplementary Restraint Systems | 11.1% | 15,293 |
| 9 | Steering | 7.4% | 10,255 |
| 10 | Registration Plates And Vin | 3.6% | 4,927 |
| 11 | Items Not Tested | 1.7% | 2,390 |
| 12 | Body, Chassis, Structure | 1.6% | 2,238 |
| 13 | Noise, Emissions And Leaks | 1.3% | 1,754 |
| 14 | Towbars | 0.9% | 1,247 |
Failures per 10,000 Miles
avg. 113,266 miFor every 10,000 miles driven, this shows what percentage of MOT tests fail for each category. This accounts for how far cars are actually driven, not just raw pass/fail counts.
View as table
| Category | Rate / 10K mi | Raw % | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 7.30 | 82.7% | 114,456 |
| Brakes | 5.91 | 66.9% | 92,543 |
| Lamps & Electrical | 3.76 | 42.7% | 59,054 |
| Emissions & Exhaust | 2.31 | 26.2% | 36,181 |
| Tyres | 2.11 | 23.9% | 33,041 |
| Visibility | 1.37 | 15.5% | 21,512 |
| Body & Structure | 1.16 | 13.2% | 18,237 |
| Seat Belts | 0.98 | 11.1% | 15,293 |
| Steering | 0.65 | 7.4% | 10,255 |
| Registration Plates and VIN | 0.31 | 3.6% | 4,927 |
| Items Not Tested | 0.15 | 1.7% | 2,390 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 0.11 | 1.3% | 1,754 |
| Towbars | 0.08 | 0.9% | 1,247 |
🚗 Similar Cars to Consider
Mileage at MOT
The average Vauxhall Cavalier has 113,266 miles when tested for MOT.
📊 Mileage-Adjusted Failure Rate
How often this car fails MOT relative to how much it's driven — a fairer comparison than raw pass rate.
The Vauxhall Cavalier has a mileage-adjusted failure rate of 4.64% per 10,000 miles driven. The average across all makes is 5.38%, so this model is better than average.
About Vauxhall Cavalier MOT Data
The Vauxhall Cavalier is a well-known vehicle in the UK, with 138,348 MOT test results recorded in our database spanning 23 manufacture years. It has an overall MOT pass rate of 47.4% and a failure rate of 52.6%, which is significantly below the UK average of approximately 37%.
For Vauxhall Cavalier owners, these results suggest above-average failure risk — thorough pre-MOT checks are recommended. Focus your pre-MOT checks on suspension and brakes for the best chance of a first-time pass. Use our detailed year-by-year breakdown and failure analysis below to understand how your specific Cavalier is likely to perform.
Suspension — 45.5% of failures
Suspension issues account for 45.5% of MOT failures on the Vauxhall Cavalier. Suspension failures typically involve worn bushes, leaking shock absorbers, broken coil springs, and damaged suspension arms. These affect ride quality, tyre wear, and road holding. Typical repair costs: £200–500. Pre-MOT check: Look for uneven tyre wear, listen for clunking over bumps, and check if the car pulls to one side. A bouncy ride suggests worn shock absorbers. Visually inspect coil springs for cracks.
Brakes — 36.4% of failures
Brakes issues account for 36.4% of MOT failures on the Vauxhall Cavalier. Brake-related failures include worn brake pads, corroded brake discs, leaking brake lines, and faulty brake servos. These are safety-critical components — any brake deficiency will result in an MOT fail. Typical repair costs: £150–400. Pre-MOT check: Listen for squealing or grinding noises. Check brake pedal feel — if it feels spongy or goes to the floor, have the system inspected immediately. Look at brake pad thickness through the wheel spokes (minimum 3mm).
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 27.2% of failures
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment issues account for 27.2% of MOT failures on the Vauxhall Cavalier. Lighting failures cover all external lights: headlights, tail lights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights, and reflectors. A single blown bulb will cause an MOT fail. This is one of the most preventable failure categories. Typical repair costs: £5–50. Pre-MOT check: Walk around the car and check every light — headlights (dipped and main beam), side lights, tail lights, brake lights, indicators, hazard lights, reverse light, rear fog light, and number plate lights. Replace any blown bulbs before the test.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the MOT pass rate for the Vauxhall Cavalier?
Based on 138,348 MOT tests in our database, the Vauxhall Cavalier has an overall pass rate of 47.4% (52.6% fail rate).
What are the most common MOT failures on a Vauxhall Cavalier?
The top 3 reasons a Vauxhall Cavalier fails its MOT are: 1. Suspension (45.5%), 2. Brakes (36.4%), 3. Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment (27.2%). Check these areas before booking your MOT.
Is the Vauxhall Cavalier reliable?
With a 52.6% MOT failure rate, the Cavalier is less reliable than average compared to the UK average of ~40%.
What should I check before an MOT on my Vauxhall Cavalier?
Based on failure data, focus on: Suspension (45.5%); Brakes (36.4%); Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment (27.2%). These are the areas most likely to cause a fail. Also check all lights, tyres (minimum 1.6mm tread), and windscreen condition — these are quick wins that apply to all cars.
Based on DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2005–2024). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.