Citroen C3 Picasso MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Citroen C3 Picasso MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Citroen C3 Picasso passed on its first attempt in 77.9%, and its overall record sits +0.7 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Citroen C3 Picasso in the 2023–2025 data: 23,169 tests across 10 model years (2009–2019). 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 Picasso MOT Problems by Failure Category

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

Top Recorded Citroen C3 Picasso DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Citroen C3 Picasso, each with how many of the model's 23,169 tests it was noted on.

• "Stop lamp not working" (Major) — noted on about 936 Citroen C3 Picasso tests, 4.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 936 Citroen C3 Picasso tests, 4.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" (Major) — noted on about 781 Citroen C3 Picasso tests, 3.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Headlamp not working on dipped beam" (Major) — noted on about 572 Citroen C3 Picasso tests, 2.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" (Major) — noted on about 354 Citroen C3 Picasso tests, 1.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively" (Major) — noted on about 245 Citroen C3 Picasso tests, 1.1% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Citroen C3 Picasso Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Citroen C3 Picasso model year on record is 2019 (85.5% across 131 tests), and the weakest is 2009 (69.0%). The gap between them is 16.5 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Citroen C3 Picasso reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 1.0 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 Picasso Owners

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

• the lights — “stop lamp not working”

  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 wipers and washers — “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.

• 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.

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

Where the Citroen C3 Picasso is most common

Across every C3 Picasso model year on record (2009–2019): 8,523 Citroen C3 Picasso cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 23,166 tests. Portsmouth (PO) has the most, with 291 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 C3 Picasso 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 C3 Picasso MOT & Reliability