Citroen C1 MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Citroen C1 MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Citroen C1 passed on its first attempt in 76.1%, and its overall record sits −0.7 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Citroen C1 in the 2023–2025 data: 585,817 tests across 18 model years (2005–2022). 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 Citroen C1 MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Citroen C1, 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 Citroen C1's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Citroen C1 DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Citroen C1, each with how many of the model's 585,817 tests it was noted on.

• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 24,557 Citroen C1 tests, 4.2% of the model's MOT record.
• "Service brake performance excessively binding" (Major) — noted on about 15,070 Citroen C1 tests, 2.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Position lamp not working" (Major) — noted on about 10,252 Citroen C1 tests, 1.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded" (Major) — noted on about 8,873 Citroen C1 tests, 1.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Headlamp lens slightly defective" (Minor) — noted on about 7,216 Citroen C1 tests, 1.2% of the model's MOT record.
• "Catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits" (Major) — noted on about 7,031 Citroen C1 tests, 1.2% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Citroen C1 Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Citroen C1 model year on record is 2021 (93.9% across 6,987 tests), and the weakest is 2006 (70.1%). The gap between them is 23.8 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Citroen C1 reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 1.3 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.

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

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Citroen C1 Owners

These checks follow this Citroen C1's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Citroen C1.

• 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 exhaust and emissions — “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.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Citroen C1. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Where the Citroen C1 is most common

Across every C1 model year 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.

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 →

Frequently Asked Questions: Citroen C1 MOT & Reliability