Pass rate
69.5%
Below average — 3.6 pts behind the 73.1% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 1,922 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £50–£136
2008 Citroen Nemo MOT pass rate
- 2008
- typical 130,948 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Suspension
25.5% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Which year to buy
- Best 2017 77.5% pass
- Avoid 2008 69.5% pass · this year
Across the 11 years on record, a spread of 8 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 59.5%
- Typical mileage
- 131k mi
The 2008 Citroen Nemo MOT pass rate is 69.5% of its MOT tests — 3.6 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 25.5% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Lamps & electrics: 1.5× the national share
Lamps & electrics make up 18.0% of everything recorded on the 2008 Citroen Nemo, against 12.2% nationally — 5.8 points above. Suspension is still the single largest share at 25.5%, but at 21.0% nationally that one is ordinary. Walk round the car with the lights on before the test: bulbs, indicators and number-plate lamps are the cheapest failures to prevent and among the most common.
- Falls short of its own age and mileage. Like-for-like, cars this age and mileage expect about 73.1%; this one manages 69.5% — 3.6 points below. Age is a fair excuse; this is not age.
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 Nemo? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2008 Citroen Nemo compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 73.1%, so this figure is 3.6 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 59.5%. The median 2008 Citroen Nemo in this dataset had covered 130,948 mi.
95% of the tests on this vehicle ran on Diesel, which passed 69.2% of the time. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 69.3% of the time, April–September 69.6%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view", noted on 11.13% of tests.
- 1,922 recorded tests behind this page.
- 69.5% overall pass rate, 59.5% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Citroen Nemo, the average is 73.0% — best year 2017 (77.5%), worst 2008 (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
- 1,922
- Typical mileage (median)
- 130,948 mi
- Make and model
- Citroen Nemo
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Windscreen
Typically a garage job — get quotes before committing.
Does mileage affect the Nemo MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 42% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Diesel is the most common here (95% of tests).
Where the Citroen Nemo is most common
Across all Nemo model years on record (2008–2018): 21,008 Citroen Nemo cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 54,476 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 503 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) | 503 | 78.8% |
| 2 | Newcastle upon Tyne (NE) | 494 | 73.1% |
| 3 | Cardiff (CF) | 425 | 69.0% |
| 4 | Sheffield (S) | 412 | 76.6% |
| 5 | Peterborough (PE) | 411 | 72.8% |
| 6 | Nottingham (NG) | 391 | 72.2% |
| 7 | Portsmouth (PO) | 383 | 71.2% |
| 8 | Swansea (SA) | 362 | 72.0% |
| 9 | Ashford (TN) | 342 | 74.6% |
| 10 | Norwich (NR) | 319 | 72.7% |
| 11 | Wrexham (LL) | 319 | 73.3% |
| 12 | Bristol (BS) | 318 | 68.2% |
| 13 | Doncaster (DN) | 312 | 74.2% |
| 14 | Exeter (EX) | 304 | 69.6% |
| 15 | Plymouth (PL) | 294 | 68.2% |
| 16 | Manchester (M) | 288 | 76.0% |
| 17 | Leicester (LE) | 287 | 75.4% |
| 18 | Brighton (BN) | 276 | 71.6% |
| 19 | Southampton (SO) | 274 | 73.2% |
| 20 | Edinburgh (EH) | 273 | 71.1% |
The twenty areas with the most Citroen Nemo 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 Nemo
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 307 | 73.6% |
| South West | 253 | 62.5% |
| East of England | 241 | 70.1% |
| Yorkshire | 194 | 65.5% |
| North West | 190 | 73.2% |
| Wales | 172 | 65.7% |
| West Midlands | 165 | 78.8% |
| East Midlands | 134 | 66.4% |
| North East | 126 | 72.2% |
| Scotland | 97 | 62.9% |
| London | 43 | 74.4% |
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 2008 Nemo
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 2008 Nemo
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 windscreen 11.1% of tests
“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.
-
Check the lights 8.9% 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 5.3% 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.
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 2008 Nemo through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £50–£136 — and 39% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £50–£136
- Cheapest common item: mirrors slightly damaged
- £3–£15
- Dearest common item: component mounting prescribed areas…
- £180–£450
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 50%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 39%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 1,922 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 Nemo, side by side
11 model years on record, from 2008 to 2018. Across them the pass rate runs from 69.5% to 77.5% — a spread of 8 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2008 69.5%windscreen damaged but not…
- 2009 71.1% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2010 72.2% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2011 73.4% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2012 73.1% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2013 73.6% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2014 73.4% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2015 73.9% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2016 75.0% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2017 77.5% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2018 77.4% windscreen damaged but not…
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 2008 Citroen Nemo 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 2008 cars with a similar record
- Chevrolet Matiz 69.5%
- Volkswagen Fox 69.4%
- Suzuki Splash 69.6%
- Renault Grand Modus 69.4%
- Kia Sedona 69.6%
- Renault Twingo 69.3%
Closest pass rates among 2008 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 2008 Citroen Nemo 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 6,492 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 | 1,687 | 25.50% | 20.98% | +4.52 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 1,192 | 18.00% | 12.21% | +5.79 |
| Tyres | 862 | 13.00% | 19.76% | −6.76 |
| Brakes | 699 | 10.60% | 20.89% | −10.29 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 560 | 8.50% | 5.57% | +2.93 |
| Visibility | 549 | 8.30% | 4.97% | +3.33 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 502 | 7.60% | 5.52% | +2.08 |
| Steering | 244 | 3.70% | 2.57% | +1.13 |
| Non-component advisories | 105 | 1.60% | 4.18% | −2.58 |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 92 | 1.40% | 0.82% | +0.58 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 11.1% | £80–200 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 8.9% | £5–20 |
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 5.6% | £5–25 |
| Coil spring fractured or broken Suspension | Major | 5.3% | £25–65 |
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 4.7% | £80–250 |
| Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Suspension | Major | 4.2% | £180–450 |
| Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | Major | 3.8% | £80–250 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 3.3% | £5–25 |
| Mirrors slightly damaged Visibility | Minor | 3.2% | £3–15 |
| Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 3.2% | £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 | 23.1% | £45–95 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 19.1% | £200–700 |
| Coil spring corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 13.3% | £25–65 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 13.0% | £40–150 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 11.9% | £45–95 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 8.4% | £45–110 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 2 | 50.0% | 27,643 mi |
| 30-60k | 94 | 71.3% | 49,960 mi |
| 60-90k | 215 | 74.0% | 75,729 mi |
| 90-120k | 326 | 69.3% | 106,179 mi |
| 120k+ | 937 | 69.1% | 162,634 mi |
Source: 1,922 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.
2008 Nemo MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2008 Citroen Nemo?
69.5% of the 1,922 2008 Citroen Nemo tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 73.1% for cars first used in 2008. First-attempt pass rate: 59.5%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2008 Citroen Nemo?
The three most recorded items are windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (11.13%), registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (8.90%), headlamp lens slightly defective (5.57%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2008 Citroen Nemo MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 50.0% of the time, falling to 69.1% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2008 Citroen Nemo in this dataset had covered 130,948 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2008 Citroen Nemo?
Diesel: 69.2% pass rate across 1,817 tests. Petrol: 74.3% pass rate across 105 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2008 Citroen Nemo MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 69.3% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 69.6%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.