Pass rate
65.7%
Below average — 6.7 pts behind the 72.4% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 1,737 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £39–£109
2005 Chevrolet Kalos MOT pass rate
- 2005
- 2 trims combined
- typical 66,798 mi
Most common fault
Suspension
26.4% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Part only £35–£75 for Suspension pin or bush excessively worn. What fitting it takes →
Which year to buy
- Best 2007 68.0% pass
- Avoid 2005 65.7% pass · this year
Across the 4 years on record, a spread of 2.3 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 53.5%
- Typical mileage
- 67k mi
The 2005 Chevrolet Kalos MOT pass rate is 65.7% of its MOT tests — 6.7 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 26.4% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Chevrolet Kalos does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Suspension: 1.3× the national share
Suspension accounts for 26.4% of everything recorded on the 2005 Chevrolet Kalos, against 21.0% nationally — 5.4 points above. Ask for the front and rear suspension to be checked on a ramp before you buy — worn bushes and broken springs are cheap to look at and expensive to discover at test time.
- Falls short of its own age and mileage. Like-for-like, cars this age and mileage expect about 72.4%; this one manages 65.7% — 6.7 points below. Age is a fair excuse; this is not age.
Written from this page's own figures: fault shares against the national composition, the like-for-like pass rate, and the priced repair list. How these are worked out
Watching a Chevrolet Kalos? Get an email when these numbers change .
Every Chevrolet Kalos first registered in 2005 is combined here — 2 trim and body variants in total — so the sample is as large as the DVSA data allows.
How does the 2005 Chevrolet Kalos compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.4%, so this figure is 6.7 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 53.5%. The median 2005 Chevrolet Kalos in this dataset had covered 66,798 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 66.3% of the time, April–September 64.9%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Headlamp lens slightly defective", noted on 8.64% of tests.
- 1,737 recorded tests behind this page.
- 65.7% overall pass rate, 53.5% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Chevrolet Kalos, the average is 67.0% — best year 2007 (68.0%), worst 2005 (65.7%).
Figures count every completed test on this vehicle-year in the dataset, including retests. See methodology for the exact definition.
This page's data
- Tests analysed
- 1,737
- Typical mileage (median)
- 66,798 mi
- Make and model
- Chevrolet Kalos
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Headlight Bulb
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Kalos MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 50% so small gaps stay visible.
Regional pass rates for the Kalos
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 397 | 70.3% |
| South West | 335 | 60.6% |
| North West | 189 | 60.8% |
| East of England | 177 | 65.0% |
| East Midlands | 150 | 68.0% |
| West Midlands | 137 | 67.9% |
| Wales | 106 | 60.4% |
| London | 103 | 75.7% |
| Yorkshire | 98 | 69.4% |
| North East | 32 | 53.1% |
Regions come from the postcode area recorded at the test station. Areas on region borders are assigned to the region with the majority of their population.
What fails a 2005 Kalos
Everything a tester recorded on this vehicle, grouped into the inspection sections that produced it. The notch on each bar is the national share, so you can see at a glance whether this car is unusual or just ordinary.
A test can record several items, so these percentages do not add up to 100%. The exact strings, with prices, are in the full DVSA record at the bottom of this page.
Before your test
Three checks worth doing on a 2005 Kalos
These are not generic tips — they are the faults recorded most often on this exact model, rewritten as things you can check yourself. All three take about ten minutes and cost nothing.
-
Check the lights 8.6% of tests
“headlamp lens slightly defective”
Switch everything on and walk round the car: both headlamps on dip and main, every indicator, both brake lights, reverse, fog and the two number-plate lamps. A bulb is a few pounds and a five-minute job.
-
Check corrosion 7.1% of tests
“component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength”
Look under the sills, around the jacking points and where the suspension mounts meet the body. Flaking, holed or crumbly metal fails; a brown stain on sound metal does not.
-
Check the suspension joints 6.4% of tests
“pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn”
With the car parked on level ground, rock the top of each front wheel in and out while someone watches the suspension arm. Clunks, or rubber boots split and greasy, are what testers record here.
Shares are the proportion of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item, so they overlap: one test can record several.
What it costs to get a 2005 Kalos through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £39–£109 — and 44% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £39–£109
- Cheapest common item: malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or…
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: component mounting prescribed areas…
- £180–£450
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 60%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 44%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 1,737 MOT tests on this vehicle. They exclude diagnostics, retest fees and garage labour where the part is a DIY fit, and they are not figures from the DVSA dataset. Older and higher-mileage examples cost more than the average. How these estimates are built → · All MOT repair costs → · Cheapest cars to put through a test →
Every year of the Kalos, side by side
4 model years on record, from 2005 to 2008. Across them the pass rate runs from 65.7% to 68.0% — a spread of 2.3 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2005 65.7%headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2006 67.5% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2007 68.0% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2008 66.1% headlamp lens slightly defective
Colour is the pass rate on a fixed scale, so a block means the same thing on any model. Each year links to its own page with the full fault breakdown.
Compare the 2005 Chevrolet Kalos with another year
The raw pass rate mostly measures age. The year comparison adds the like-for-like figure, the mileage bands and the repair bill.
Other 2005 cars with a similar record
- Ford Galaxy 67.0%
- Ford Ka 67.3%
- Kia Sportage 67.3%
- Vauxhall Meriva 67.6%
- Suzuki Alto 67.7%
- Vauxhall Combo 67.8%
Closest pass rates among 2005 cars with at least 2,000 tests, so a small sample cannot flatter itself into the list. See the full rankings: best and worst MOT pass rates.
The full DVSA record for the 2005 Chevrolet Kalos 10 failure items · 6 advisories · 10 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold
Every inspection category
Shares of the 6,120 individual items recorded on this vehicle, and the same share across all cars nationally. A single test can record several items, so a row is not a percentage of tests.
| Category | Items | This car | Nationally | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 1,661 | 26.40% | 20.98% | +5.42 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 1,048 | 16.70% | 12.21% | +4.49 |
| Brakes | 943 | 15.00% | 20.89% | −5.89 |
| Tyres | 687 | 10.90% | 19.76% | −8.86 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 522 | 8.30% | 5.52% | +2.78 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 455 | 7.20% | 5.57% | +1.63 |
| Steering | 246 | 3.90% | 2.57% | +1.33 |
| Visibility | 243 | 3.90% | 4.97% | −1.07 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 177 | 2.80% | 1.76% | +1.04 |
| Non-component advisories | 138 | 2.20% | 4.18% | −1.98 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 8.6% | £5–25 |
| Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Suspension | Major | 7.1% | £180–450 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 6.7% | £5–20 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Major | 6.4% | £40–150 |
| Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 4.8% | £30–80 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 4.8% | £5–25 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 4.7% | £18–45 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 4.3% | £3–12 |
| Service brake performance excessively binding Brakes | Major | 4.0% | £60–150 |
| Track rod end ball joint has excessive play Steering | Major | 4.0% | £18–45 |
Severity is as recorded: Major and Dangerous fail the test outright; Minor and Advisory do not. Costs are estimates from typical UK parts prices — see how they are built.
What testers noted without failing the car
Advisories are the early warnings — the same parts a year or two before they fail. Reading them is how you tell a car that has been maintained from one that has been patched.
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 22.7% | £40–150 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 19.5% | £200–700 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 16.8% | £45–95 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 15.1% | £45–95 |
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Advisory | 10.3% | £80–180 |
| Registration plates inscription illegible Identification of the vehicle | Advisory | 9.3% | £20–80 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 56 | 83.9% | 18,642 mi |
| 30-60k | 603 | 69.2% | 48,400 mi |
| 60-90k | 723 | 64.0% | 73,630 mi |
| 90-120k | 265 | 58.5% | 100,985 mi |
| 120k+ | 79 | 63.3% | 138,600 mi |
Source: 1,737 recorded tests on this vehicle-year. Every row above is recomputed from the same DVSA extract as the rest of the page — see the methodology.
2005 Kalos MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2005 Chevrolet Kalos?
65.7% of the 1,737 2005 Chevrolet Kalos tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.4% for cars first used in 2005. First-attempt pass rate: 53.5%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2005 Chevrolet Kalos?
The three most recorded items are headlamp lens slightly defective (8.64%), component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength (7.08%), registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (6.74%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2005 Chevrolet Kalos MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 83.9% of the time, falling to 63.3% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2005 Chevrolet Kalos in this dataset had covered 66,798 mi.
Does the season affect the 2005 Chevrolet Kalos MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 66.3% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 64.9%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.