Citroen C3 C-Series MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Citroen C3 C-Series MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Citroen C3 C-Series passed on its first attempt in 94.2%, and its overall record sits +13.5 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Citroen C3 C-Series in the 2023–2025 data: 2,578 tests across 3 model years (2021–2023). 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 C3 C-Series MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Citroen C3 C-Series, 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 C3 C-Series's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Citroen C3 C-Series DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Citroen C3 C-Series, each with how many of the model's 2,578 tests it was noted on.

• "Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" (Major) — noted on about 42 Citroen C3 C-Series tests, 1.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Headlamp aim too high" (Rectified) — noted on about 25 Citroen C3 C-Series tests, 1.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick" (Major) — noted on about 17 Citroen C3 C-Series tests, 0.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Brake discs significantly and obviously worn" (Major) — noted on about 14 Citroen C3 C-Series tests, 0.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Headlamp aim too low" (Major) — noted on about 11 Citroen C3 C-Series tests, 0.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Front fog lamps insecure" (Minor) — noted on about 8 Citroen C3 C-Series tests, 0.3% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Citroen C3 C-Series Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Citroen C3 C-Series model year on record is 2023 (95.5% across 290 tests), and the weakest is 2021 (93.1%). The gap between them is 2.4 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Citroen C3 C-Series reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 1.2 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 C3 C-Series Owners

These checks follow this Citroen C3 C-Series's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Citroen C3 C-Series.

• the lights — “headlamp aim too high”

  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 brakes — “brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick”

  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 wipers and washers — “washers provides insufficient washer liquid”

  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.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Citroen C3 C-Series. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Frequently Asked Questions: Citroen C3 C-Series MOT & Reliability