Calculate my fail sheet

2006 Citroen C2 MOT pass rate

Check your postcode

Pass rate by postcode →

Pass rate

70.9%

Below average — 1.6 pts behind the 72.5% that cars this age and mileage manage.

Across 6,577 recorded tests.

Typical repair bill £50–£138

Which year to buy

  • Best 2006 70.9% pass · this year
  • Avoid 2004 68.0% pass

Across the 8 years on record, a spread of 2.9 points. See every year →

First-attempt pass
62.4%
Typical mileage
84k mi

The 2006 Citroen C2 MOT pass rate is 70.9% of its MOT tests — 1.6 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 25.2% of what testers record.

MOT PASS RATES

The 2006 Citroen C2 on the real record

70.9% of 2006 Citroen C2 MOTs passed — 6,577 tests, 2023–2025

Pass rate

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

Expert verdict

Fewer problems with tyres

Tyres are 12.8% of this car’s recorded faults, against 19.8% nationally — the mirror image of the usual story on a car of this 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 Citroen C2? Get an email when these numbers change .

How does the 2006 Citroen C2 compare?

Cars of this age and mileage average 72.5%, so this figure is 1.6 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 62.4%. The median 2006 Citroen C2 in this dataset had covered 84,043 mi.

86% of the tests on this vehicle ran on Petrol, which passed 71.5% of the time. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 71.6% of the time, April–September 70.0%.

The single most recorded failure item is "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources", noted on 7.02% of tests.

  • 6,577 recorded tests behind this page.
  • 70.9% overall pass rate, 62.4% on a first attempt.
  • Across every year of the Citroen C2, the average is 69.8% — best year 2006 (70.9%), worst 2004 (68.0%).

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
6,577
Typical mileage (median)
84,043 mi
Make and model
Citroen C2
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 C2 MOT pass rate?

0-30k 89.6%
30-60k 78.5%
60-90k 69.9%
90-120k 67.2%
120k+ 66.0%

Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 58% so small gaps stay visible.

Fuel type and reliability

Petrol 71.5%
Diesel 66.9%

Pass rate by fuel type. Petrol is the most common here (86% of tests).

Where the Citroen C2 is most common

Across all C2 model years on record (2003–2010): 17,165 Citroen C2 cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 43,088 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 553 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) 553 3.2% 1,263 75.9%
2 Sheffield (S) 453 2.6% 1,108 69.8%
3 Bristol (BS) 425 2.5% 1,176 66.2%
4 Cardiff (CF) 404 2.4% 1,132 64.6%
5 Nottingham (NG) 357 2.1% 882 66.3%
6 Manchester (M) 325 1.9% 755 72.8%
7 Portsmouth (PO) 314 1.8% 906 66.3%
8 Peterborough (PE) 300 1.7% 776 69.8%
9 Swansea (SA) 300 1.7% 772 67.4%
10 Derby (DE) 288 1.7% 703 70.7%
11 Newcastle upon Tyne (NE) 286 1.7% 733 68.9%
12 Leicester (LE) 277 1.6% 681 74.0%
13 Gloucester (GL) 276 1.6% 750 66.3%
14 Newport (NP) 272 1.6% 668 66.5%
15 Doncaster (DN) 266 1.5% 673 67.5%
16 Plymouth (PL) 256 1.5% 791 66.1%
17 Wrexham (LL) 256 1.5% 701 67.9%
18 Coventry (CV) 253 1.5% 648 72.5%
19 Brighton (BN) 244 1.4% 709 68.1%
20 Yeovil (BA) 240 1.4% 647 68.5%

The twenty areas with the most Citroen C2 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 C2

Region Tests Pass rate
South East 1,211 74.3%
South West 954 68.3%
West Midlands 816 70.5%
North West 747 71.1%
East of England 724 72.0%
Yorkshire 684 67.7%
East Midlands 462 70.3%
Wales 444 68.2%
Scotland 191 69.1%
North East 173 68.2%
London 171 82.5%

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 2006 C2

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.

Suspension 25.2%
+4.2 pts vs national national 21.0% Price suspension parts
Lamps & electrics 15.9%
+3.7 pts vs national national 12.2% Order bulbs & wipers
Brakes 14.0%
−6.9 pts vs national national 20.9% Price brakes parts
Tyres 12.8%
−7.0 pts vs national national 19.8% Compare tyre prices
Show the other 6 fault categories
  • Body & chassis 10.4%
  • Emissions & leaks 7.6%
  • Visibility 4.4%
  • Identification 2.9%
  • Advisories 2.9%
  • Seat belts 2.0%

Shares are of every item recorded on 2006 Citroen C2 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 2006 C2

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 lights 7.0% 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.

  2. Check corrosion 4.9% 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.

  3. Check the suspension joints 3.6% of tests

    “ball joint 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 2006 C2 through its MOT

Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £50–£138 — and 45% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.

Average repair across the 10 common items
£50–£138
Cheapest common item: registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the…
£5–£20
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
45%

Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 6,577 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 C2, side by side

8 model years on record, from 2003 to 2010. Across them the pass rate runs from 68.0% to 70.9% — a spread of 2.9 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.

  1. 2003 70.0% coil spring fractured or broken
  2. 2004 68.0% registration plate lamp(s)…
  3. 2005 68.5% registration plate lamp(s)…
  4. 2006 70.9%
    registration plate lamp(s)…
  5. 2007 70.1% registration plate lamp(s)…
  6. 2008 70.8% registration plate lamp(s)…
  7. 2009 70.3% registration plate lamp(s)…
  8. 2010 68.5% registration plate lamp(s)…

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 2006 Citroen C2 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 2006 with another year →

Compare two different cars instead →

Other 2006 cars with a similar record

Closest pass rates among 2006 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 2006 Citroen C2 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 19,739 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 5,072 25.20% 20.98% +4.22
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 3,196 15.90% 12.21% +3.69
Brakes 2,812 14.00% 20.89% −6.89
Tyres 2,575 12.80% 19.76% −6.96
Body, chassis, structure 2,101 10.40% 5.57% +4.83
Noise, emissions and leaks 1,535 7.60% 5.52% +2.08
Visibility 890 4.40% 4.97% −0.57
Identification of the vehicle 584 2.90% 1.76% +1.14
Non-component advisories 578 2.90% 4.18% −1.28
Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems 396 2.00% 0.82% +1.18

The exact failure items, in the tester's words

Share of the 6,577 tests on this vehicle that recorded each item
Recorded item Severity Tests Est. cost Part
Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment Minor 7.0% £5–20 Number Plate Lamp →
Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Suspension Major 4.9% £180–450 Corrosion Welding Repair →
Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment Minor 4.0% £5–25 Headlight Bulb →
Ball joint excessively worn Suspension Major 3.6% £18–45 Ball Joint →
Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure Major 3.4% £80–250 Body Panel Repair →
Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility Minor 3.0% £80–200 Windscreen →
Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility Major 2.8% £8–22 Wiper Blade →
Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure Minor 2.7% £80–250 Body Panel Repair →
Coil spring fractured or broken Suspension Major 2.5% £25–65 Coil Spring →
Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment Major 2.5% £5–25 Headlight Bulb →

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
Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres Advisory 17.9% £45–95
Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks Advisory 15.6% £200–700
Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes Advisory 13.5% £45–110
Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres Advisory 12.9% £45–95
Coil spring corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened Suspension Advisory 10.0% £25–65
Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension Advisory 9.6% £40–150

Pass rate by mileage

Mileage Tests Pass rate Median odometer
0-30k 193 89.6% 22,172 mi
30-60k 1,267 78.5% 47,512 mi
60-90k 2,379 69.9% 76,122 mi
90-120k 1,847 67.2% 103,074 mi
120k+ 877 66.0% 140,635 mi

Source: 6,577 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.

2006 C2 MOT questions

What is the MOT pass rate for a 2006 Citroen C2?

70.9% of the 6,577 2006 Citroen C2 tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.5% for cars first used in 2006. First-attempt pass rate: 62.4%.

What are the most common MOT failures on a 2006 Citroen C2?

The three most recorded items are registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (7.02%), component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength (4.87%), headlamp lens slightly defective (4.03%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.

Does mileage affect the 2006 Citroen C2 MOT pass rate?

Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 89.6% of the time, falling to 66.0% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2006 Citroen C2 in this dataset had covered 84,043 mi.

Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2006 Citroen C2?

Petrol: 71.5% pass rate across 5,628 tests. Diesel: 66.9% pass rate across 949 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.

Does the season affect the 2006 Citroen C2 MOT pass rate?

Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 71.6% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 70.0%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.