D Daewoo Matiz MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Daewoo Matiz MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Daewoo Matiz passed on its first attempt in 55.7%, and its overall record sits −14.8 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Daewoo Matiz in the 2023–2025 data: 3,502 tests across 6 model years (2000–2005). 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 Daewoo Matiz MOT Problems by Failure Category

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

Top Recorded Daewoo Matiz DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Daewoo Matiz, each with how many of the model's 3,502 tests it was noted on.

• "Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength" (Major) — noted on about 301 Daewoo Matiz tests, 8.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Headlamp lens slightly defective" (Minor) — noted on about 285 Daewoo Matiz tests, 8.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Service brake imbalance across an axle" (Major) — noted on about 249 Daewoo Matiz tests, 7.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction" (Major) — noted on about 173 Daewoo Matiz tests, 4.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect" (Major) — noted on about 162 Daewoo Matiz tests, 4.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Ball joint excessively worn" (Major) — noted on about 155 Daewoo Matiz tests, 4.4% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Daewoo Matiz Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Daewoo Matiz model year on record is 2003 (68.3% across 700 tests), and the weakest is 2005 (60.9%). The gap between them is 7.4 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Daewoo Matiz reliability is declining in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 0.9 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 Daewoo Matiz Owners

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

• corrosion — “component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength”

  Look under the sills, around the jacking points and where the suspension mounts meet the body. Flaking, holed or crumbly metal fails; a brown stain on sound metal does not.

• the lights — “headlamp lens slightly defective”

  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 — “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 Daewoo Matiz. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Where the Daewoo Matiz is most common

Across every Matiz model year on record (2000–2005): 1,387 Daewoo Matiz cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 3,502 tests. Poole (BH) has the most, with 66 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 Daewoo Matiz 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: Daewoo Matiz MOT & Reliability