Pass rate, every year
1,328 tests across 2 model years, 2021–2022.
+14.0 pts vs the national average
Pass rate, every year
1,328 tests across 2 model years, 2021–2022.
+14.0 pts vs the national average
Best year to buy
2022 95.5%
The strongest of the 2 years on record. See the 2022 page →
Worst year to buy
2021 93.6%
1.9 points below the 2022 peak. See the 2021 page →
The Citroen C3 Saint James MOT pass rate is 95.0%, +14.0 percentage points above the UK average. That is 1,328 DVSA MOT tests recorded between 2021 and 2022. This page lists the most common Citroen C3 Saint James MOT failures by category, names the best and worst model years, and finishes with a pre-MOT checklist you can run at home.
The Citroen C3 Saint James passed on its first attempt in 94.7%, and its overall record sits +14.0 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Citroen C3 Saint James in the 2023–2025 data: 1,328 tests across 2 model years (2021–2022). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.
| Measure | This model |
|---|---|
| Tests analysed | 1,328 |
| Overall pass rate | 95.0% |
| Passed on first attempt | 94.7% |
| Average mileage at test | 20,420 mi |
| Model years covered | 2021–2022 (2 years) |
| Versus UK national average | +14.0 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 Saint James, 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.
| Inspection section | Share of failures |
|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 28% |
| Visibility | 25% |
| Tyres | 23% |
| Brakes | 15% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 9% |
Shares are over the Citroen C3 Saint James's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.
Around 28% of the recorded Citroen C3 Saint James failures fall in the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Headlamp aim too high" (0.8%), "Position lamp not working" (0.4%), "Headlamp aim too low" (0.4%) among the Citroen C3 Saint James's lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment faults.
Around 25% of the recorded Citroen C3 Saint James failures fall in the Visibility section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Wipers blade defective" (0.7%), "Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively" (0.6%), "Washers provides insufficient washer liquid" (0.2%) among the Citroen C3 Saint James's visibility faults.
Around 23% of the recorded Citroen C3 Saint James 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" (1.5%) among the Citroen C3 Saint James's tyres faults.
The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Citroen C3 Saint James, each with how many of the model's 1,328 tests it was noted on.
The strongest Citroen C3 Saint James model year on record is 2022 (95.5% across 955 tests), and the weakest is 2021 (93.6%). The gap between them is 1.9 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 C3 Saint James | 955 | 95.5% |
| 2021 C3 Saint James | 373 | 93.6% |
Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.
These checks follow this Citroen C3 Saint James's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Citroen C3 Saint James.
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 wipers and washers — “wipers blade defective”
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 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.
Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Citroen C3 Saint James. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.
95.0% of the 1,328 recorded Citroen C3 Saint James MOT tests ended in a pass, +14.0 percentage points above the national average. 94.7% of those passed on the first attempt.
2022 is the strongest Citroen C3 Saint James year on record at 95.5%, while 2021 is the weakest at 93.6%. The year-by-year table below lists every model year with at least 50 recorded tests.
The most recorded Citroen C3 Saint James failures are "Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" and "Headlamp aim too high" — together around 2% of tests, mostly in the Tyres section.