Citroen DS5 MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Citroen DS5 MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Citroen DS5 passed on its first attempt in 66.5%, and its overall record sits −6.7 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Citroen DS5 in the 2023–2025 data: 16,259 tests across 4 model years (2012–2015). 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 DS5 MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Citroen DS5, 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 DS5's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Citroen DS5 DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Citroen DS5, each with how many of the model's 16,259 tests it was noted on.

• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 1,469 Citroen DS5 tests, 9.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Coil spring fractured or broken" (Major) — noted on about 936 Citroen DS5 tests, 5.8% of the model's MOT record.
• "Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" (Major) — noted on about 747 Citroen DS5 tests, 4.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated" (Minor) — noted on about 589 Citroen DS5 tests, 3.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Ball joint excessively worn" (Major) — noted on about 582 Citroen DS5 tests, 3.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn" (Major) — noted on about 474 Citroen DS5 tests, 2.9% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Citroen DS5 Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Citroen DS5 model year on record is 2015 (78.6% across 1,449 tests), and the weakest is 2013 (73.1%). The gap between them is 5.5 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Citroen DS5 reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 1.9 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 DS5 Owners

These checks follow this Citroen DS5's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Citroen DS5.

• 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 coil springs — “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.

• the suspension 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.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Citroen DS5. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Where the Citroen DS5 is most common

Across every DS5 model year 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.

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 →

Frequently Asked Questions: Citroen DS5 MOT & Reliability