Citroen C4 Cactus MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Citroen C4 Cactus MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Citroen C4 Cactus passed on its first attempt in 79.6%, and its overall record sits +1.9 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Citroen C4 Cactus in the 2023–2025 data: 74,323 tests across 8 model years (2014–2021). 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 C4 Cactus MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Citroen C4 Cactus, 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 C4 Cactus's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Citroen C4 Cactus DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Citroen C4 Cactus, each with how many of the model's 74,323 tests it was noted on.

• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 3,611 Citroen C4 Cactus tests, 4.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively" (Major) — noted on about 2,684 Citroen C4 Cactus tests, 3.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Wipers blade defective" (Minor) — noted on about 1,683 Citroen C4 Cactus tests, 2.3% of the model's MOT record.
• "Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" (Major) — noted on about 1,597 Citroen C4 Cactus tests, 2.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Headlamp not working on dipped beam" (Rectified) — noted on about 1,406 Citroen C4 Cactus tests, 1.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" (Major) — noted on about 1,068 Citroen C4 Cactus tests, 1.4% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Citroen C4 Cactus Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Citroen C4 Cactus model year on record is 2021 (92.3% across 716 tests), and the weakest is 2014 (73.5%). The gap between them is 18.8 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Citroen C4 Cactus reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 2.9 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 C4 Cactus Owners

These checks follow this Citroen C4 Cactus's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Citroen C4 Cactus.

• the lights — “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.

• 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 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 C4 Cactus. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Where the Citroen C4 Cactus is most common

Across every C4 Cactus model year 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.

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 →

Frequently Asked Questions: Citroen C4 Cactus MOT & Reliability