Chevrolet Spark MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Chevrolet Spark MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Chevrolet Spark passed on its first attempt in 65.0%, and its overall record sits −7.7 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Chevrolet Spark in the 2023–2025 data: 56,981 tests across 5 model years (2010–2014). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.

Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.

Most Common Chevrolet Spark MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Chevrolet Spark, the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.

Shares are over the Chevrolet Spark's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Chevrolet Spark DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Chevrolet Spark, each with how many of the model's 56,981 tests it was noted on.

• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 5,150 Chevrolet Spark tests, 9.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Position lamp not working" (Major) — noted on about 3,300 Chevrolet Spark tests, 5.8% of the model's MOT record.
• "Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded" (Major) — noted on about 2,815 Chevrolet Spark tests, 4.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Service brake performance excessively binding" (Major) — noted on about 2,604 Chevrolet Spark tests, 4.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Stop lamp not working" (Major) — noted on about 2,398 Chevrolet Spark tests, 4.2% of the model's MOT record.
• "Coil spring fractured or broken" (Major) — noted on about 2,147 Chevrolet Spark tests, 3.8% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Chevrolet Spark Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Chevrolet Spark model year on record is 2014 (75.0% across 2,891 tests), and the weakest is 2012 (72.9%). The gap between them is 2.1 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Chevrolet Spark Owners

These checks follow this Chevrolet Spark's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Chevrolet Spark.

• the lights — “registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources”

  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.

• the brake pipes — “rigid brake pipes excessively corroded”

  Brake pipes run under the car, usually in front of the rear wheels. Flaking or crusty metal is what fails; a light dusting of surface rust does not. Worth asking a garage to look while it is on a ramp.

• the coil springs — “coil spring fractured or broken”

  Look up inside each wheel arch with a torch, all the way round the spring. A snapped spring usually breaks at the very bottom coil, where a quick glance will not reach.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Chevrolet Spark. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Where the Chevrolet Spark is most common

Across every Spark model year on record (2010–2014): 20,778 Chevrolet Spark cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 56,976 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 977 cars tested there. Cars are counted by the postcode area of the MOT station, so this is where they were tested, not necessarily where their owners live.

The twenty areas with the most Chevrolet Spark cars in the record, sorted by car count — sort the columns for a different question. Cars tested at a station whose postcode area could not be resolved are counted in the model's total but in no area, so the shares add up to slightly under 100% even across every area, and an area's cars are a subset of the model's. Pass rate is blank below 30 tests in an area, where a percentage is noise rather than a finding. How this model's pass rate varies by postcode →

Frequently Asked Questions: Chevrolet Spark MOT & Reliability