Pass rate
78.0%
Around average — 6.0 pts behind the 84.0% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 819 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £40–£114
2016 Citroen DS3 MOT pass rate
- 2016
- typical 54,959 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Tyres
24.8% of faults · 19.8% nationally
mostly tread below the limit, cuts and sidewall bulges.
Which year to buy
- Best 2018 83.5% pass
- Avoid 2010 69.5% pass
Across the 9 years on record, a spread of 14 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 72.8%
- Typical mileage
- 55k mi
The 2016 Citroen DS3 MOT pass rate is 78.0% of its MOT tests — 6.0 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Tyres is the biggest single reason it fails, at 24.8% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Body & chassis: 2.1× the national share
Body & chassis accounts for 11.6% of everything recorded on the 2016 Citroen Ds3, against 5.6% nationally — 6.0 points above. Tyres are still the single largest share at 24.8%, but at 19.8% 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 84.0%; this one manages 78.0% — 6.0 points below. Age is a fair excuse; this is not age.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 21% of this model’s typical repairs come in under £30 in parts — the failures here tend to be the kind that need a garage rather than a bulb.
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 DS3? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2016 Citroen DS3 compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 84.0%, so this figure is 6.0 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 72.8%. The median 2016 Citroen DS3 in this dataset had covered 54,959 mi.
64% of the tests on this vehicle ran on Petrol, which passed 79.8% of the time. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 79.0% of the time, April–September 76.6%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Coil spring fractured or broken", noted on 5.74% of tests.
- 819 recorded tests behind this page.
- 78.0% overall pass rate, 72.8% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Citroen DS3, the average is 71.4% — best year 2018 (83.5%), worst 2010 (69.5%).
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
- 819
- Typical mileage (median)
- 54,959 mi
- Make and model
- Citroen DS3
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Coil Spring
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the DS3 MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 57% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Petrol is the most common here (64% of tests).
Where the Citroen DS3 is most common
Across all DS3 model years on record (2010–2018): 106,927 Citroen DS3 cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 290,260 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 3,838 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) | 3,838 | 76.2% |
| 2 | Sheffield (S) | 3,256 | 73.6% |
| 3 | Nottingham (NG) | 2,743 | 69.5% |
| 4 | Cardiff (CF) | 2,728 | 68.1% |
| 5 | Peterborough (PE) | 2,445 | 72.8% |
| 6 | Leicester (LE) | 2,263 | 72.8% |
| 7 | Doncaster (DN) | 2,161 | 70.3% |
| 8 | Newcastle upon Tyne (NE) | 2,140 | 70.8% |
| 9 | Derby (DE) | 2,137 | 72.9% |
| 10 | Swansea (SA) | 2,027 | 69.5% |
| 11 | Bristol (BS) | 1,945 | 68.9% |
| 12 | Coventry (CV) | 1,936 | 73.3% |
| 13 | Manchester (M) | 1,823 | 73.3% |
| 14 | Newport (NP) | 1,712 | 68.6% |
| 15 | Wrexham (LL) | 1,653 | 71.1% |
| 16 | Portsmouth (PO) | 1,631 | 71.9% |
| 17 | Wakefield (WF) | 1,601 | 71.8% |
| 18 | Norwich (NR) | 1,398 | 71.6% |
| 19 | Plymouth (PL) | 1,372 | 69.5% |
| 20 | Stoke On Trent (ST) | 1,367 | 68.8% |
The twenty areas with the most Citroen DS3 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 DS3
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 146 | 79.5% |
| North West | 103 | 77.7% |
| West Midlands | 98 | 77.6% |
| South West | 98 | 80.6% |
| East Midlands | 83 | 73.5% |
| East of England | 73 | 83.6% |
| Yorkshire | 68 | 75.0% |
| Wales | 57 | 78.9% |
| North East | 44 | 72.7% |
| Scotland | 37 | 78.4% |
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 2016 DS3
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 2016 DS3
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 coil springs 5.7% of tests
“coil spring fractured or broken”
Look up inside each wheel arch with a torch, all the way round the spring. A snapped spring usually breaks at the very bottom coil, where a quick glance will not reach.
-
Check the suspension joints 2.9% of tests
“track rod end ball joint has excessive play”
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 lights 2.2% 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.
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 2016 DS3 through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £40–£114 — and 21% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £40–£114
- Cheapest common item: washers not working
- £5–£15
- Dearest common item: joints constant velocity boot split or…
- £80–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 60%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 21%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 819 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 DS3, side by side
9 model years on record, from 2010 to 2018. Across them the pass rate runs from 69.5% to 83.5% — a spread of 14 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2010 69.5% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2011 70.5% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2012 70.4% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2013 71.3% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2014 72.0% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2015 73.3% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2016 78.0%coil spring fractured or broken
- 2017 79.0% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2018 83.5% 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 2016 Citroen DS3 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 2016 cars with a similar record
- Peugeot 3008 78.1%
- Renault Grand Scenic 77.9%
- DS DS4 77.8%
- Dacia Sandero 78.4%
- DS DS3 77.6%
- SEAT Ibiza 78.5%
Closest pass rates among 2016 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 2016 Citroen DS3 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 1,306 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyres | 328 | 24.80% | 19.76% | +5.04 |
| Brakes | 298 | 22.60% | 20.89% | +1.71 |
| Suspension | 153 | 11.60% | 20.98% | −9.38 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 153 | 11.60% | 5.57% | +6.03 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 128 | 9.70% | 12.21% | −2.51 |
| Visibility | 74 | 5.60% | 4.97% | +0.63 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 63 | 4.80% | 5.52% | −0.72 |
| Steering | 53 | 4.00% | 2.57% | +1.43 |
| Non-component advisories | 36 | 2.70% | 4.18% | −1.48 |
| Road Wheels | 20 | 1.50% | 0.75% | +0.75 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coil spring fractured or broken Suspension | Major | 5.7% | £25–65 |
| Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | Major | 3.8% | £80–250 |
| Track rod end ball joint has excessive play Steering | Major | 2.9% | £18–45 |
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 2.3% | £80–250 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 2.2% | £5–20 |
| Washers not working Visibility | Major | 1.6% | £5–15 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 1.6% | £80–200 |
| Brake discs significantly and obviously worn Brakes | Major | 1.5% | £45–110 |
| Exhaust system system insecure Body, chassis, structure | Major | 1.5% | £45–120 |
| Wipers blade defective Visibility | Minor | 1.5% | £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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 17.6% | £45–110 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 15.5% | £45–95 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 13.4% | £45–95 |
| Exhaust system system insecure Body, chassis, structure | Advisory | 7.8% | £45–120 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 5.5% | £18–45 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 4.9% | £40–150 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 77 | 88.3% | 18,531 mi |
| 30-60k | 395 | 81.3% | 46,829 mi |
| 60-90k | 254 | 74.0% | 72,230 mi |
| 90-120k | 80 | 65.0% | 101,797 mi |
| 120k+ | 13 | 76.9% | 147,502 mi |
Source: 819 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.
2016 DS3 MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2016 Citroen DS3?
78.0% of the 819 2016 Citroen DS3 tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 84.0% for cars first used in 2016. First-attempt pass rate: 72.8%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2016 Citroen DS3?
The three most recorded items are coil spring fractured or broken (5.74%), joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (3.79%), track rod end ball joint has excessive play (2.93%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2016 Citroen DS3 MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 88.3% of the time, falling to 76.9% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2016 Citroen DS3 in this dataset had covered 54,959 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2016 Citroen DS3?
Petrol: 79.8% pass rate across 526 tests. Diesel: 74.7% pass rate across 293 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2016 Citroen DS3 MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 79.0% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 76.6%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.