Citroen C5 MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Citroen C5 MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Citroen C5 passed on its first attempt in 78.9%, and its overall record sits +1.1 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Citroen C5 in the 2023–2025 data: 70,407 tests across 20 model years (2001–2021). 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 C5 MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Citroen C5, 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 C5's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Citroen C5 DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Citroen C5, each with how many of the model's 70,407 tests it was noted on.

• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 5,040 Citroen C5 tests, 7.2% of the model's MOT record.
• "Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated" (Minor) — noted on about 2,677 Citroen C5 tests, 3.8% of the model's MOT record.
• "Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" (Major) — noted on about 2,472 Citroen C5 tests, 3.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps" (Rectified) — noted on about 1,438 Citroen C5 tests, 2.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn" (Major) — noted on about 1,259 Citroen C5 tests, 1.8% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 1,254 Citroen C5 tests, 1.8% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Citroen C5 Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Citroen C5 model year on record is 2021 (91.1% across 1,819 tests), and the weakest is 2008 (71.1%). The gap between them is 20.0 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Citroen C5 reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 1.8 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 C5 Owners

These checks follow this Citroen C5's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Citroen C5.

• 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 — “pins and bushes pin or bush 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 C5. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Where the Citroen C5 is most common

Across every C5 model year on record (2001–2021): 33,218 Citroen C5 cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 70,401 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 940 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 C5 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 C5 MOT & Reliability