Pass rate
79.2%
Around average — 2.0 pts ahead of the 77.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 49,696 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £29–£85
2012 Citroen C1 MOT pass rate
- 2012
- typical 66,946 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Brakes
27.0% of faults · 20.9% nationally
mostly worn pads and discs, corroded pipes and a handbrake that will not hold.
Part only £25–£55 for Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded. What fitting it takes →
8.5 pts down across model years — 9.8% in 2005, 1.3% in 2016.
Which year to buy
- Best 2021 93.9% pass
- Avoid 2006 70.1% pass
Across the 18 years on record, a spread of 23.8 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 74.3%
- Typical mileage
- 67k mi
The 2012 Citroen C1 MOT pass rate is 79.2% of its MOT tests — 2.0 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 27.0% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Brakes: 1.3× the national share
Brakes make up 27.0% of everything recorded on the 2012 Citroen C1, against 20.9% nationally — 6.1 points above. Have the discs and pads measured rather than glanced at, and ask whether the handbrake holds on a slope.
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 Citroen C1? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2012 Citroen C1 compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 77.2%, so this figure is 2.0 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 74.3%. The median 2012 Citroen C1 in this dataset had covered 66,946 mi.
100% of the tests on this vehicle ran on Petrol, which passed 79.2% of the time. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 79.5% of the time, April–September 78.9%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources", noted on 4.58% of tests.
- 49,696 recorded tests behind this page.
- 79.2% overall pass rate, 74.3% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Citroen C1, the average is 80.3% — best year 2021 (93.9%), worst 2006 (70.1%).
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
- 49,696
- Typical mileage (median)
- 66,946 mi
- Make and model
- Citroen C1
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Number Plate Lamp
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the C1 MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 64% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Petrol is the most common here (100% of tests).
Where the Citroen C1 is most common
Across all C1 model years on record (2005–2022): 230,687 Citroen C1 cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 585,806 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 6,885 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.
| # | Postcode area | Cars | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birmingham (B) | 6,885 | 84.3% |
| 2 | Newcastle upon Tyne (NE) | 6,362 | 80.4% |
| 3 | Sheffield (S) | 6,032 | 82.7% |
| 4 | Cardiff (CF) | 5,715 | 77.2% |
| 5 | Bristol (BS) | 5,468 | 77.2% |
| 6 | Nottingham (NG) | 4,768 | 78.7% |
| 7 | Manchester (M) | 4,534 | 82.0% |
| 8 | Coventry (CV) | 4,033 | 83.1% |
| 9 | Swansea (SA) | 3,985 | 79.0% |
| 10 | Leicester (LE) | 3,954 | 82.2% |
| 11 | Brighton (BN) | 3,911 | 79.6% |
| 12 | Portsmouth (PO) | 3,792 | 79.9% |
| 13 | Derby (DE) | 3,665 | 82.0% |
| 14 | Ashford (TN) | 3,432 | 80.9% |
| 15 | Preston (PR) | 3,256 | 82.5% |
| 16 | Gloucester (GL) | 3,195 | 79.7% |
| 17 | Peterborough (PE) | 3,111 | 82.2% |
| 18 | Leeds (LS) | 3,081 | 77.5% |
| 19 | Norwich (NR) | 3,045 | 79.7% |
| 20 | Doncaster (DN) | 3,044 | 81.0% |
The twenty areas with the most Citroen C1 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 →
Regional pass rates for the C1
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 7,931 | 82.1% |
| North West | 6,895 | 80.1% |
| South West | 6,502 | 79.1% |
| Yorkshire | 5,368 | 78.4% |
| West Midlands | 4,454 | 81.3% |
| East of England | 4,078 | 81.9% |
| East Midlands | 3,745 | 80.7% |
| Wales | 3,590 | 75.4% |
| Scotland | 3,231 | 69.1% |
| North East | 2,986 | 76.7% |
| London | 916 | 83.8% |
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 2012 C1
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 2012 C1
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 4.6% of tests
“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.
-
Check the brake pipes 2.6% of tests
“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.
-
Check the exhaust and emissions 1.8% of tests
“catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits”
Listen for a blow at idle and have someone rev it gently. Then look at the tailpipe smoke: blue is oil, white when warm is coolant, black is over-fuelling. Any of those and the emissions test is the least of it.
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 2012 C1 through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £29–£85 — and 54% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £29–£85
- Cheapest common item: registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the…
- £5–£20
- Dearest common item: catalyst emissions lambda reading after 2nd…
- £60–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 50%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 54%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 49,696 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 C1, side by side
18 model years on record, from 2005 to 2022. Across them the pass rate runs from 70.1% to 93.9% — a spread of 23.8 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2005 70.4% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2006 70.1% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2007 71.0% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2008 70.7% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2009 73.1% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2010 75.7% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2011 76.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2012 79.2%registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2013 80.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2014 83.4% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2015 84.7% wipers does not clear the…
- 2016 85.5% wipers does not clear the…
- 2017 87.4% wipers does not clear the…
- 2018 89.9% wipers does not clear the…
- 2019 91.6% wipers blade defective
- 2020 92.4% wipers blade defective
- 2021 93.9% has a bulge, caused by separation…
- 2022 93.9% wipers blade 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 2012 Citroen C1 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 2012 cars with a similar record
- Toyota Aygo 79.3%
- Jaguar Xf 79.3%
- Skoda Roomster 79.3%
- Mitsubishi Colt 79.3%
- BMW 116 79.1%
- BMW 3 Series 79.4%
Closest pass rates among 2012 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 2012 Citroen C1 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 106,637 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 28,998 | 27.00% | 20.89% | +6.11 |
| Suspension | 24,951 | 23.20% | 20.98% | +2.22 |
| Tyres | 18,463 | 17.20% | 19.76% | −2.56 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 15,527 | 14.50% | 12.21% | +2.29 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 6,482 | 6.00% | 5.57% | +0.43 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 3,499 | 3.30% | 5.52% | −2.22 |
| Visibility | 3,290 | 3.10% | 4.97% | −1.87 |
| Road Wheels | 2,534 | 2.40% | 0.75% | +1.65 |
| Non-component advisories | 2,034 | 1.90% | 4.18% | −2.28 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 859 | 0.80% | 1.76% | −0.96 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 4.6% | £5–20 |
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Major | 2.6% | £80–180 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 2.0% | £5–25 |
| Service brake performance excessively binding Brakes | Major | 2.0% | £60–150 |
| Switch inoperative Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 1.8% | £5–25 |
| Catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 1.8% | £60–250 |
| Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 1.6% | £30–80 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Major | 1.6% | £45–120 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Rectified | 1.5% | £5–25 |
| Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | Major | 1.4% | £8–22 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Advisory | 22.7% | £80–180 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 16.0% | £45–95 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 13.7% | £45–95 |
| Linkage pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 10.9% | £40–150 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 10.7% | £45–110 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 8.2% | £40–150 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 2,782 | 87.5% | 22,381 mi |
| 30-60k | 16,699 | 82.9% | 47,251 mi |
| 60-90k | 20,247 | 78.0% | 73,751 mi |
| 90-120k | 7,851 | 73.5% | 101,653 mi |
| 120k+ | 2,104 | 72.3% | 138,306 mi |
Source: 49,696 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.
2012 C1 MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2012 Citroen C1?
79.2% of the 49,696 2012 Citroen C1 tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 77.2% for cars first used in 2012. First-attempt pass rate: 74.3%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2012 Citroen C1?
The three most recorded items are registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (4.58%), rigid brake pipes excessively corroded (2.63%), position lamp not working (2.00%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2012 Citroen C1 MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 87.5% of the time, falling to 72.3% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2012 Citroen C1 in this dataset had covered 66,946 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2012 Citroen C1?
Petrol: 79.2% pass rate across 49,673 tests. Diesel: 100.0% pass rate across 19 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2012 Citroen C1 MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 79.5% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 78.9%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.