Pass rate, every year
94,473 tests across 7 model years, 2017–2023.
+8.0 pts vs the national average
Pass rate, every year
94,473 tests across 7 model years, 2017–2023.
+8.0 pts vs the national average
Best year to buy
2023 94.9%
The strongest of the 7 years on record. See the 2023 page →
Worst year to buy
2017 84.8%
10.1 points below the 2023 peak. See the 2017 page →
The Citroen C3 Aircross MOT pass rate is 89.0%, +8.0 percentage points above the UK average. That is 94,473 DVSA MOT tests recorded between 2017 and 2023. This page lists the most common Citroen C3 Aircross MOT failures by category, names the best and worst model years, and finishes with a pre-MOT checklist you can run at home.
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Citroen C3 Aircross MOT pass rates does in your corner of the country.
The Citroen C3 Aircross passed on its first attempt in 87.8%, and its overall record sits +8.0 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Citroen C3 Aircross in the 2023–2025 data: 94,473 tests across 7 model years (2017–2023). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.
| Measure | This model |
|---|---|
| Tests analysed | 94,473 |
| Overall pass rate | 89.0% |
| Passed on first attempt | 87.8% |
| Average mileage at test | 29,370 mi |
| Model years covered | 2017–2023 (7 years) |
| Versus UK national average | +8.0 pts above |
Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.
Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Citroen C3 Aircross, the Body, chassis, structure section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.
| Inspection section | Share of failures |
|---|---|
| Body, chassis, structure | 36% |
| Brakes | 24% |
| Tyres | 22% |
| Visibility | 13% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4% |
| Suspension | 0% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 0% |
Shares are over the Citroen C3 Aircross's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.
Around 36% of the recorded Citroen C3 Aircross failures fall in the Body, chassis, structure section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" (2.1%), "Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated" (1.1%), "Exhaust system system insecure" (0.6%) among the Citroen C3 Aircross's body, chassis, structure faults.
Around 24% of the recorded Citroen C3 Aircross failures fall in the Brakes section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Brake discs significantly and obviously worn" (1.2%), "Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick" (1.2%), "Service brake performance excessively fluctuating" (0.0%) among the Citroen C3 Aircross's brakes faults.
Around 22% of the recorded Citroen C3 Aircross failures fall in the Tyres section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" (1.2%), "Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" (0.8%), "Has ply or cords exposed" (0.2%) among the Citroen C3 Aircross's tyres faults.
The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Citroen C3 Aircross, each with how many of the model's 94,473 tests it was noted on.
2 failure items are recorded at least 1.5 times the UK rate on this model. One has a part guide — what to buy, which brands, and what the tester looks at next time.
| Failure item | This model | UK | × UK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brake discs worn | 6.7% | 2.9% | 2.3× | £45–£110 |
| Brake discs seriously weakened | 19.2% | 9.5% | 2.0× | £45–£110 part £60–£90 |
Rates are a share of this model's own tests (94,473 for the top row), so a big seller cannot outrank a rare one. The UK figure is the same item's share of every test in our data. Items C3 Aircross records at or below the UK rate are not listed — this is where it is unusual, not a full inventory. All failure items · parts and costs
The strongest Citroen C3 Aircross model year on record is 2023 (94.9% across 198 tests), and the weakest is 2017 (84.8%). The gap between them is 10.1 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.
Citroen C3 Aircross reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 1.7 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 C3 Aircross | 198 | 94.9% |
| 2022 C3 Aircross | 5,940 | 94.2% |
| 2021 C3 Aircross | 8,098 | 92.6% |
| 2020 C3 Aircross | 13,988 | 91.2% |
| 2019 C3 Aircross | 30,897 | 89.4% |
| 2018 C3 Aircross | 32,178 | 86.3% |
| 2017 C3 Aircross | 3,174 | 84.8% |
Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.
These checks follow this Citroen C3 Aircross's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Citroen C3 Aircross.
the brakes — “brake discs significantly and obviously worn”
Look through the spokes of each wheel at the pad — less than 3mm of friction material, or a lip on the disc edge, is the usual failure. Check the handbrake holds on a slope with a few clicks, not at the top of its travel.
the windscreen — “windscreen damaged”
Check the driver’s side of the screen within the swept area for chips and cracks; anything larger than 10mm in the driver’s central view is a fail. Most chips can be resin-repaired for far less than a new screen.
the tyre tread — “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.
Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Citroen C3 Aircross. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.
89.0% of the 94,473 recorded Citroen C3 Aircross MOT tests ended in a pass, +8.0 percentage points above the national average. 87.8% of those passed on the first attempt.
2023 is the strongest Citroen C3 Aircross year on record at 94.9%, while 2017 is the weakest at 84.8%. The year-by-year table below lists every model year with at least 50 recorded tests.
The most recorded Citroen C3 Aircross failures are "Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" and "Brake discs significantly and obviously worn" — together around 3% of tests, mostly in the Body, chassis, structure section.