Pass rate
73.5%
Below average — 6.7 pts behind the 80.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 189 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £22–£68
2014 Citroen C4 Cactus MOT pass rate
- 2014
- typical 66,616 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Brakes
19.1% of faults · 20.9% nationally
mostly worn pads and discs, corroded pipes and a handbrake that will not hold.
Which year to buy
- Best 2021 92.3% pass
- Avoid 2014 73.5% pass · this year
Across the 8 years on record, a spread of 18.8 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 64.3%
- Typical mileage
- 67k mi
The 2014 Citroen C4 Cactus MOT pass rate is 73.5% of its MOT tests — 6.7 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 19.1% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Body & chassis: 2.2× the national share
Body & chassis accounts for 12.3% of everything recorded on the 2014 Citroen C4 Cactus, against 5.6% nationally — 6.7 points above. Brakes are still the single largest share at 19.1%, but at 20.9% nationally that one is ordinary. Look underneath for corrosion near the jacking points and suspension mounts; surface rust is normal, flaking metal is not.
- Falls short of its own age and mileage. Like-for-like, cars this age and mileage expect about 80.2%; this one manages 73.5% — 6.7 points below. Age is a fair excuse; this is not age.
- Failures here tend to be cheap ones. 64% of the repairs this model fails on cost under £30 in parts. The pass rate matters less than what a bad afternoon at the test centre actually costs you.
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 C4 Cactus? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2014 Citroen C4 Cactus compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 80.2%, so this figure is 6.7 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 64.3%. The median 2014 Citroen C4 Cactus in this dataset had covered 66,616 mi.
The most common fuel recorded here is Diesel — 52% of tests, with a 77.6% pass rate. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 72.0% of the time, April–September 75.0%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources", noted on 10.58% of tests.
- 189 recorded tests behind this page.
- 73.5% overall pass rate, 64.3% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Citroen C4 Cactus, the average is 82.9% — best year 2021 (92.3%), worst 2014 (73.5%).
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
- 189
- Typical mileage (median)
- 66,616 mi
- Make and model
- Citroen C4 Cactus
- 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 C4 Cactus MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 61% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Diesel is the most common here (52% of tests).
Where the Citroen C4 Cactus is most common
Across all C4 Cactus model years on record (2014–2021): 31,842 Citroen C4 Cactus cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 74,316 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 1,007 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 | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birmingham (B) | 1,007 | 84.2% |
| 2 | Glasgow (G) | 794 | 77.3% |
| 3 | Newcastle upon Tyne (NE) | 747 | 81.9% |
| 4 | Cardiff (CF) | 729 | 81.1% |
| 5 | Sheffield (S) | 719 | 83.8% |
| 6 | Nottingham (NG) | 664 | 83.2% |
| 7 | Swansea (SA) | 597 | 82.6% |
| 8 | Manchester (M) | 580 | 82.7% |
| 9 | Edinburgh (EH) | 569 | 76.8% |
| 10 | Derby (DE) | 560 | 85.1% |
| 11 | Peterborough (PE) | 546 | 85.2% |
| 12 | Coventry (CV) | 485 | 85.5% |
| 13 | Leicester (LE) | 480 | 86.2% |
| 14 | Doncaster (DN) | 467 | 82.8% |
| 15 | Bristol (BS) | 463 | 80.8% |
| 16 | Brighton (BN) | 459 | 82.5% |
| 17 | Northampton (NN) | 455 | 79.7% |
| 18 | Newport (NP) | 431 | 82.1% |
| 19 | Liverpool (L) | 423 | 84.3% |
| 20 | Warrington (WA) | 423 | 83.3% |
The twenty areas with the most Citroen C4 Cactus 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 C4 Cactus
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 43 | 76.7% |
| South West | 42 | 71.4% |
| North West | 22 | 77.3% |
| East Midlands | 16 | 81.3% |
| North East | 16 | 68.8% |
| Scotland | 15 | 66.7% |
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 2014 C4 Cactus
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.
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 2014 C4 Cactus
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.
-
Check the lights 10.6% 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.
-
Check the suspension joints 2.6% 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.
-
Check the exhaust and emissions 2.6% of tests
“exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases”
Listen for a blow at idle and have someone rev it gently. Then look at the tailpipe smoke: blue is oil, white when warm is coolant, black is over-fuelling. Any of those and the emissions test is the least of it.
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 2014 C4 Cactus through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £22–£68 — and 64% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £22–£68
- Cheapest common item: malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or…
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: joints constant velocity boot split or…
- £80–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 70%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 64%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 189 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 C4 Cactus, side by side
8 model years on record, from 2014 to 2021. Across them the pass rate runs from 73.5% to 92.3% — a spread of 18.8 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2014 73.5%registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2015 74.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2016 78.2% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2017 81.4% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2018 83.4% wipers does not clear the…
- 2019 85.9% wipers does not clear the…
- 2020 90.7% wipers does not clear the…
- 2021 92.3% wipers does not clear the…
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 2014 Citroen C4 Cactus 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.
Other 2014 cars with a similar record
- Renault Zoe 73.5%
- Renault Scenic 73.4%
- Fiat Fiorino 73.7%
- Vauxhall Combo 73.2%
- Peugeot Bipper 73.1%
- Vauxhall Antara 74.0%
Closest pass rates among 2014 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 2014 Citroen C4 Cactus 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 408 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 79 | 19.10% | 20.89% | −1.79 |
| Suspension | 77 | 18.60% | 20.98% | −2.38 |
| Tyres | 73 | 17.70% | 19.76% | −2.06 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 58 | 14.00% | 12.21% | +1.79 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 51 | 12.30% | 5.57% | +6.73 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 30 | 7.30% | 5.52% | +1.78 |
| Non-component advisories | 15 | 3.60% | 4.18% | −0.58 |
| Visibility | 14 | 3.40% | 4.97% | −1.57 |
| Steering | 6 | 1.50% | 2.57% | −1.07 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 5 | 1.20% | 1.76% | −0.56 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 10.6% | £5–20 |
| Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | Major | 5.3% | £80–250 |
| Headlamp not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 3.2% | £5–25 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 2.6% | £18–45 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Major | 2.6% | £45–120 |
| Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 2.1% | £30–80 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 2.1% | £3–12 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 2.1% | £5–20 |
| Washers provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | Major | 2.1% | £5–15 |
| Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | Major | 2.1% | £8–22 |
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.
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 14.8% | £45–95 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 14.3% | £40–150 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 13.8% | £45–95 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 13.2% | £45–110 |
| Exhaust system system insecure Body, chassis, structure | Advisory | 13.2% | £45–120 |
| Coil spring corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 10.1% | £25–65 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 15 | 80.0% | 22,286 mi |
| 30-60k | 53 | 75.5% | 45,813 mi |
| 60-90k | 79 | 69.6% | 71,795 mi |
| 90-120k | 31 | 74.2% | 103,983 mi |
| 120k+ | 11 | 81.8% | 136,291 mi |
Source: 189 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.
2014 C4 Cactus MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2014 Citroen C4 Cactus?
73.5% of the 189 2014 Citroen C4 Cactus tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 80.2% for cars first used in 2014. First-attempt pass rate: 64.3%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2014 Citroen C4 Cactus?
The three most recorded items are registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (10.58%), joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (5.29%), headlamp not working on dipped beam (3.17%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2014 Citroen C4 Cactus MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 80.0% of the time, falling to 81.8% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2014 Citroen C4 Cactus in this dataset had covered 66,616 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2014 Citroen C4 Cactus?
Diesel: 77.6% pass rate across 98 tests. Petrol: 69.2% pass rate across 91 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2014 Citroen C4 Cactus MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 72.0% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 75.0%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.