Pass rate
73.2%
Below average — 4.0 pts behind the 77.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 4,126 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £36–£108
2012 Citroen DS5 MOT pass rate
- 2012
- typical 104,443 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Suspension
23.7% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Part only £35–£75 for Suspension pin or bush excessively worn. What fitting it takes →
Which year to buy
- Best 2015 78.6% pass
- Avoid 2013 73.1% pass
Across the 4 years on record, a spread of 5.5 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 64.4%
- Typical mileage
- 104k mi
The 2012 Citroen DS5 MOT pass rate is 73.2% of its MOT tests — 4.0 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 23.7% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Falls short of its own age and mileage
Like-for-like, cars this age and mileage expect about 77.2%; this one manages 73.2% — 4.0 points below. Age is a fair excuse; this is not age.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 22% 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 DS5? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2012 Citroen DS5 compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 77.2%, so this figure is 4.0 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 64.4%. The median 2012 Citroen DS5 in this dataset had covered 104,443 mi.
85% of the tests on this vehicle ran on Diesel, which passed 73.3% of the time. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 73.5% of the time, April–September 72.8%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources", noted on 8.73% of tests.
- 4,126 recorded tests behind this page.
- 73.2% overall pass rate, 64.4% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Citroen DS5, the average is 74.3% — best year 2015 (78.6%), worst 2013 (73.1%).
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
- 4,126
- Typical mileage (median)
- 104,443 mi
- Make and model
- Citroen DS5
- 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 DS5 MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 63% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Diesel is the most common here (85% of tests).
Where the Citroen DS5 is most common
Across all DS5 model years on record (2012–2015): 6,619 Citroen DS5 cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 16,259 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 279 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) | 279 | 77.2% |
| 2 | Sheffield (S) | 232 | 78.4% |
| 3 | Peterborough (PE) | 217 | 77.5% |
| 4 | Nottingham (NG) | 182 | 72.2% |
| 5 | Manchester (M) | 179 | 77.8% |
| 6 | Doncaster (DN) | 162 | 75.9% |
| 7 | Coventry (CV) | 160 | 77.6% |
| 8 | Leicester (LE) | 140 | 74.9% |
| 9 | Newcastle upon Tyne (NE) | 138 | 72.9% |
| 10 | Derby (DE) | 134 | 77.0% |
| 11 | Northampton (NN) | 125 | 73.1% |
| 12 | Portsmouth (PO) | 113 | 75.0% |
| 13 | Leeds (LS) | 104 | 75.7% |
| 14 | Blackburn (BB) | 101 | 73.8% |
| 15 | Oldham (OL) | 100 | 75.5% |
| 16 | Cardiff (CF) | 96 | 69.7% |
| 17 | Warrington (WA) | 95 | 71.2% |
| 18 | Glasgow (G) | 92 | 69.9% |
| 19 | Edinburgh (EH) | 89 | 70.2% |
| 20 | Preston (PR) | 86 | 74.5% |
The twenty areas with the most Citroen DS5 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 DS5
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| North West | 614 | 73.9% |
| South East | 581 | 77.1% |
| Yorkshire | 506 | 71.9% |
| West Midlands | 449 | 75.5% |
| East Midlands | 446 | 67.9% |
| East of England | 406 | 77.8% |
| South West | 355 | 71.3% |
| Scotland | 310 | 65.8% |
| Wales | 212 | 73.6% |
| North East | 209 | 71.8% |
| London | 38 | 84.2% |
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 2012 DS5
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 2012 DS5
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 8.7% 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 coil springs 5.0% 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 4.1% 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.
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 2012 DS5 through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £36–£108 — and 22% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £36–£108
- Cheapest common item: registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the…
- £5–£20
- 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
- 22%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 4,126 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 DS5, side by side
4 model years on record, from 2012 to 2015. Across them the pass rate runs from 73.1% to 78.6% — a spread of 5.5 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2012 73.2%registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2013 73.1% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2014 76.0% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2015 78.6% registration plate lamp(s)…
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 2012 Citroen DS5 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 2012 cars with a similar record
- Peugeot 3008 73.2%
- Volvo V50 73.2%
- Kia Sorento 73.3%
- Chevrolet Spark 72.9%
- Fiat Fiorino 73.5%
- Kia Ceed 72.7%
Closest pass rates among 2012 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 2012 Citroen DS5 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 8,045 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 1,925 | 23.70% | 20.98% | +2.72 |
| Tyres | 1,606 | 19.80% | 19.76% | +0.04 |
| Brakes | 1,478 | 18.20% | 20.89% | −2.69 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 1,009 | 12.40% | 12.21% | +0.19 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 605 | 7.50% | 5.52% | +1.98 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 497 | 6.10% | 5.57% | +0.53 |
| Non-component advisories | 326 | 4.00% | 4.18% | −0.18 |
| Steering | 298 | 3.70% | 2.57% | +1.13 |
| Visibility | 250 | 3.10% | 4.97% | −1.87 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 51 | 0.60% | 1.76% | −1.16 |
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 | 8.7% | £5–20 |
| Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | Major | 5.5% | £80–250 |
| Coil spring fractured or broken Suspension | Major | 5.0% | £25–65 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 4.1% | £18–45 |
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 4.0% | £80–250 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Major | 3.4% | £40–150 |
| Track rod end ball joint has excessive play Steering | Major | 2.9% | £18–45 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Major | 2.2% | £45–95 |
| Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes | Major | 2.2% | £45–110 |
| Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 1.9% | £30–80 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 23.2% | £45–95 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 12.9% | £40–150 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 10.5% | £200–700 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 10.3% | £45–110 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 8.1% | £18–45 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 5.3% | £18–45 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 30 | 90.0% | 21,506 mi |
| 30-60k | 326 | 79.1% | 48,857 mi |
| 60-90k | 956 | 74.7% | 78,232 mi |
| 90-120k | 1,557 | 72.1% | 104,971 mi |
| 120k+ | 1,231 | 71.8% | 143,687 mi |
Source: 4,126 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.
2012 DS5 MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2012 Citroen DS5?
73.2% of the 4,126 2012 Citroen DS5 tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 77.2% for cars first used in 2012. First-attempt pass rate: 64.4%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2012 Citroen DS5?
The three most recorded items are registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (8.73%), joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (5.53%), coil spring fractured or broken (5.02%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2012 Citroen DS5 MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 90.0% of the time, falling to 71.8% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2012 Citroen DS5 in this dataset had covered 104,443 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2012 Citroen DS5?
Diesel: 73.3% pass rate across 3,512 tests. Other: 74.4% pass rate across 454 tests. Electric: 69.2% pass rate across 78 tests. Hybrid: 64.7% pass rate across 51 tests. Petrol: 67.7% pass rate across 31 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2012 Citroen DS5 MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 73.5% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 72.8%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.