Pass rate, every year
24,202 tests across 13 model years, 2007–2019.
+1.2 pts vs the national average
Pass rate, every year
24,202 tests across 13 model years, 2007–2019.
+1.2 pts vs the national average
Best year to buy
2019 88.4%
The strongest of the 13 years on record. See the 2019 page →
Worst year to buy
2007 69.0%
19.4 points below the 2019 peak. See the 2007 page →
The Citroen C4 Picasso MOT pass rate is 82.2%, +1.2 percentage points above the UK average. That is 24,202 DVSA MOT tests recorded between 2007 and 2019. This page lists the most common Citroen C4 Picasso 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 C4 Picasso passed on its first attempt in 78.6%, and its overall record sits +1.2 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Citroen C4 Picasso in the 2023–2025 data: 24,202 tests across 13 model years (2007–2019). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.
| Measure | This model |
|---|---|
| Tests analysed | 24,202 |
| Overall pass rate | 82.2% |
| Passed on first attempt | 78.6% |
| Average mileage at test | 78,665 mi |
| Model years covered | 2007–2019 (13 years) |
| Versus UK national average | +1.2 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 C4 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.
| Inspection section | Share of failures |
|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 33% |
| Suspension | 18% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 18% |
| Visibility | 9% |
| Tyres | 8% |
| Brakes | 7% |
| Steering | 6% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 0% |
Shares are over the Citroen C4 Picasso's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.
Around 33% of the recorded Citroen C4 Picasso failures fall in the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (5.2%), "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps" (0.4%), "Position lamp not working" (0.3%) among the Citroen C4 Picasso's lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment faults.
Around 18% of the recorded Citroen C4 Picasso failures fall in the Suspension section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Linkage ball joints ball joint excessively worn" (1.6%), "Ball joint excessively worn" (1.0%), "Linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" (0.5%) among the Citroen C4 Picasso's suspension faults.
Around 18% of the recorded Citroen C4 Picasso failures fall in the Body, chassis, structure section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" (2.3%), "Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated" (1.4%) among the Citroen C4 Picasso's body, chassis, structure faults.
The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Citroen C4 Picasso, each with how many of the model's 24,202 tests it was noted on.
1 failure item is recorded at least 1.5 times the UK rate on this model.
| Failure item | This model | UK | × UK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child seat fitted, preventing full inspection | 4.8% | 2.1% | 2.3× | £20–£80 |
Rates are a share of this model's own tests (24,202 for the top row), so a big seller cannot outrank a rare one. The UK figure is the same item's share of every test in our data. Items C4 Picasso records at or below the UK rate are not listed — this is where it is unusual, not a full inventory. All failure items · parts and costs
The strongest Citroen C4 Picasso model year on record is 2019 (88.4% across 86 tests), and the weakest is 2007 (69.0%). The gap between them is 19.4 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.
Citroen C4 Picasso reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 2.5 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 C4 Picasso | 86 | 88.4% |
| 2018 C4 Picasso | 3,904 | 86.1% |
| 2017 C4 Picasso | 10,463 | 83.8% |
| 2016 C4 Picasso | 6,021 | 81.2% |
| 2015 C4 Picasso | 1,100 | 79.5% |
| 2014 C4 Picasso | 1,041 | 75.1% |
| 2013 C4 Picasso | 560 | 73.4% |
| 2012 C4 Picasso | 268 | 75.0% |
| 2011 C4 Picasso | 169 | 70.4% |
| 2010 C4 Picasso | 188 | 70.2% |
| 2009 C4 Picasso | 131 | 71.8% |
| 2008 C4 Picasso | 171 | 69.6% |
| 2007 C4 Picasso | 100 | 69.0% |
Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.
These checks follow this Citroen C4 Picasso's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Citroen C4 Picasso.
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 suspension joints — “linkage ball joints 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.
the windscreen — “windscreen damaged”
Check the driver’s side of the screen within the swept area for chips and cracks; anything larger than 10mm in the driver’s central view is a fail. Most chips can be resin-repaired for far less than a new screen.
Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Citroen C4 Picasso. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.
Across every C4 Picasso model year on record (2007–2019): 9,755 Citroen C4 Picasso cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 24,202 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 238 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) | 238 | 83.9% |
| 2 | Newcastle upon Tyne (NE) | 236 | 79.7% |
| 3 | Ashford (TN) | 217 | 79.9% |
| 4 | Sheffield (S) | 212 | 82.4% |
| 5 | Portsmouth (PO) | 207 | 81.0% |
| 6 | Brighton (BN) | 195 | 81.1% |
| 7 | Nottingham (NG) | 168 | 82.0% |
| 8 | Cardiff (CF) | 165 | 79.2% |
| 9 | Bristol (BS) | 163 | 81.7% |
| 10 | Coventry (CV) | 161 | 85.1% |
| 11 | Swansea (SA) | 157 | 83.0% |
| 12 | Peterborough (PE) | 157 | 84.5% |
| 13 | Derby (DE) | 144 | 85.5% |
| 14 | Norwich (NR) | 142 | 81.0% |
| 15 | Poole (BH) | 141 | 83.1% |
| 16 | Exeter (EX) | 140 | 84.2% |
| 17 | Plymouth (PL) | 136 | 79.6% |
| 18 | Ipswich (IP) | 135 | 85.8% |
| 19 | Preston (PR) | 135 | 82.1% |
| 20 | Edinburgh (EH) | 133 | 74.0% |
The twenty areas with the most Citroen C4 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 →
82.2% of the 24,202 recorded Citroen C4 Picasso MOT tests ended in a pass, +1.2 percentage points above the national average. 78.6% of those passed on the first attempt.
2019 is the strongest Citroen C4 Picasso year on record at 88.4%, while 2007 is the weakest at 69.0%. The year-by-year table below lists every model year with at least 50 recorded tests.
The most recorded Citroen C4 Picasso failures are "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" and "Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" — together around 7% of tests, mostly in the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section.