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2018 Citroen C1 MOT pass rate

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Pass rate

89.9%

Above average — 2.0 pts ahead of the 87.9% that cars this age and mileage manage.

Across 22,822 recorded tests.

Typical repair bill £24–£57

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
88.9%
Typical mileage
28k mi

The 2018 Citroen C1 MOT pass rate is 89.9% of its MOT tests — 2.0 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Tyres is the biggest single reason it fails, at 39.3% of what testers record.

MOT PASS RATES

The 2018 Citroen C1 on the real record

89.9% of 2018 Citroen C1 MOTs passed — 22,822 tests, 2023–2025

Pass rate

The answer from the DVSA's class-4 MOT records.

Expert verdict

Tyres: 2.0× the national share

Tyres make up 39.3% of everything recorded on the 2018 Citroen C1, against 19.8% nationally — 19.5 points above. Check all four tyres yourself, including the inner shoulders, and look at the date stamp — a tyre can pass on tread and still be six years old.

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 2018 Citroen C1 compare?

Cars of this age and mileage average 87.9%, 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 88.9%. The median 2018 Citroen C1 in this dataset had covered 28,315 mi.

100% of the tests on this vehicle ran on Petrol, which passed 89.9% of the time. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 90.0% of the time, April–September 89.9%.

The single most recorded failure item is "Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively", noted on 2.01% of tests.

  • 22,822 recorded tests behind this page.
  • 89.9% overall pass rate, 88.9% 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
22,822
Typical mileage (median)
28,315 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

Wiper Blade

Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.

Does mileage affect the C1 MOT pass rate?

0-30k 92.2%
30-60k 88.3%
60-90k 81.4%
90-120k 82.3%
120k+ 64.5%

Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 56% so small gaps stay visible.

Fuel type and reliability

Petrol 89.9%
Electric 83.3%

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 Share of all Tests Pass rate
1 Birmingham (B) 6,885 3% 16,039 84.3%
2 Newcastle upon Tyne (NE) 6,362 2.8% 17,451 80.4%
3 Sheffield (S) 6,032 2.6% 15,612 82.7%
4 Cardiff (CF) 5,715 2.5% 16,092 77.2%
5 Bristol (BS) 5,468 2.4% 14,933 77.2%
6 Nottingham (NG) 4,768 2.1% 12,547 78.7%
7 Manchester (M) 4,534 2% 10,239 82.0%
8 Coventry (CV) 4,033 1.7% 9,939 83.1%
9 Swansea (SA) 3,985 1.7% 11,176 79.0%
10 Leicester (LE) 3,954 1.7% 9,940 82.2%
11 Brighton (BN) 3,911 1.7% 10,888 79.6%
12 Portsmouth (PO) 3,792 1.6% 10,690 79.9%
13 Derby (DE) 3,665 1.6% 9,091 82.0%
14 Ashford (TN) 3,432 1.5% 8,985 80.9%
15 Preston (PR) 3,256 1.4% 8,354 82.5%
16 Gloucester (GL) 3,195 1.4% 8,716 79.7%
17 Peterborough (PE) 3,111 1.3% 7,914 82.2%
18 Leeds (LS) 3,081 1.3% 7,404 77.5%
19 Norwich (NR) 3,045 1.3% 8,876 79.7%
20 Doncaster (DN) 3,044 1.3% 7,695 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 3,845 89.6%
North West 3,219 90.0%
South West 2,654 91.1%
Yorkshire 2,342 91.1%
North East 2,075 90.1%
East of England 1,900 90.6%
West Midlands 1,878 90.6%
Scotland 1,554 86.2%
Wales 1,514 89.4%
East Midlands 1,345 88.6%
London 496 91.9%

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 2018 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.

Tyres 39.3%
+19.5 pts vs national national 19.8% Compare tyre prices
Brakes 24.8%
+3.9 pts vs national national 20.9% Price brakes parts
Suspension 9.6%
−11.4 pts vs national national 21.0% Price suspension parts
Visibility 8.0%
+3.0 pts vs national national 5.0% Order bulbs & wipers
Show the other 6 fault categories
  • Lamps & electrics 6.5%
  • Advisories 4.2%
  • Body & chassis 2.5%
  • Road wheels 2.2%
  • Emissions & leaks 1.7%
  • Identification 1.0%

Shares are of every item recorded on 2018 Citroen C1 tests — a composition, so they add to 100% across all sections, not per test.

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 2018 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.

  1. Check the wipers and washers 2.0% of tests

    “wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively”

    Run the wipers with the screen wet: they should clear it in one sweep without smearing or juddering. Top the washer bottle up and check both jets hit the screen.

  2. Check the lights 1.0% of tests

    “stop lamp with a multiple light source up to 1/2 not functioning”

    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.

  3. Check the tyre tread 0.9% of tests

    “tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm”

    Check all four tyres cold, including the inner shoulder where wear hides — 1.6mm across the central three-quarters is the legal limit, and most testers fail at 1.6mm without argument.

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 2018 C1 through its MOT

Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £24–£57 — and 57% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.

Average repair across the 10 common items
£24–£57
Cheapest common item: stop lamp with a multiple light source up to…
£3–£12
Dearest common item: windscreen damaged
£80–£200
Common items a careful owner can do at home
90%
Repairs that still cost under £30
57%

Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 22,822 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.

  1. 2005 70.4% registration plate lamp(s)…
  2. 2006 70.1% registration plate lamp(s)…
  3. 2007 71.0% registration plate lamp(s)…
  4. 2008 70.7% registration plate lamp(s)…
  5. 2009 73.1% registration plate lamp(s)…
  6. 2010 75.7% registration plate lamp(s)…
  7. 2011 76.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
  8. 2012 79.2% registration plate lamp(s)…
  9. 2013 80.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
  10. 2014 83.4% registration plate lamp(s)…
  11. 2015 84.7% wipers does not clear the…
  12. 2016 85.5% wipers does not clear the…
  13. 2017 87.4% wipers does not clear the…
  14. 2018 89.9%
    wipers does not clear the…
  15. 2019 91.6% wipers blade defective
  16. 2020 92.4% wipers blade defective
  17. 2021 93.9% has a bulge, caused by separation…
  18. 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 2018 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.

Compare 2018 with another year →

Compare two different cars instead →

Other 2018 cars with a similar record

Closest pass rates among 2018 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 2018 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 21,908 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
Tyres 8,621 39.30% 19.76% +19.54
Brakes 5,435 24.80% 20.89% +3.91
Suspension 2,105 9.60% 20.98% −11.38
Visibility 1,767 8.00% 4.97% +3.03
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 1,426 6.50% 12.21% −5.71
Non-component advisories 926 4.20% 4.18% +0.02
Body, chassis, structure 548 2.50% 5.57% −3.07
Road Wheels 480 2.20% 0.75% +1.45
Noise, emissions and leaks 384 1.70% 5.52% −3.82
Identification of the vehicle 216 1.00% 1.76% −0.76

The exact failure items, in the tester's words

Share of the 22,822 tests on this vehicle that recorded each item
Recorded item Severity Tests Est. cost Part
Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility Major 2.0% £8–22 Wiper Blade →
Wipers blade defective Visibility Minor 1.8% £8–22 Wiper Blade →
Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility Rectified 1.3% £8–22 Wiper Blade →
Stop lamp with a multiple light source up to 1/2 not functioning Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment Minor 1.0% £3–12 Stop Light Bulb →
Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres Major 0.93% £45–95 Tyres →
Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes Major 0.88% £18–45 Brake Pads Set →
Brake discs significantly and obviously worn Brakes Major 0.78% £45–110 Brake Discs and Pads Set →
Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility Minor 0.75% £80–200 Windscreen →
Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres Major 0.72% £45–95 Tyres →
Has ply or cords exposed Tyres Major 0.60% £45–95 Tyres →

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.

Items recorded as advisory on this vehicle
Recorded item Severity Tests Est. cost
Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres Advisory 18.6% £45–95
Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres Advisory 12.4% £45–95
Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes Advisory 10.1% £45–110
Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes Advisory 5.7% £18–45
Linkage pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension Advisory 3.4% £40–150
Brake discs significantly and obviously worn Brakes Advisory 3.0% £45–110

Pass rate by mileage

Mileage Tests Pass rate Median odometer
0-30k 12,336 92.2% 18,674 mi
30-60k 8,930 88.3% 41,110 mi
60-90k 1,366 81.4% 69,673 mi
90-120k 158 82.3% 99,818 mi
120k+ 31 64.5% 136,489 mi

Source: 22,822 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.

2018 C1 MOT questions

What is the MOT pass rate for a 2018 Citroen C1?

89.9% of the 22,822 2018 Citroen C1 tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 87.9% for cars first used in 2018. First-attempt pass rate: 88.9%.

What are the most common MOT failures on a 2018 Citroen C1?

The three most recorded items are wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (2.01%), wipers blade defective (1.79%), wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (1.31%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.

Does mileage affect the 2018 Citroen C1 MOT pass rate?

Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 92.2% of the time, falling to 64.5% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2018 Citroen C1 in this dataset had covered 28,315 mi.

Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2018 Citroen C1?

Petrol: 89.9% pass rate across 22,810 tests. Electric: 83.3% pass rate across 12 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.

Does the season affect the 2018 Citroen C1 MOT pass rate?

Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 90.0% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 89.9%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.