DS Ds MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

DS Ds MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The DS Ds passed on its first attempt in 87.1%, and its overall record sits +7.4 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the DS Ds in the 2023–2025 data: 4,275 tests across 3 model years (2020–2022). 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 DS Ds MOT Problems by Failure Category

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

Top Recorded DS Ds DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the DS Ds, each with how many of the model's 4,275 tests it was noted on.

• "Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively" (Major) — noted on about 193 DS Ds tests, 4.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Wipers blade defective" (Minor) — noted on about 100 DS Ds tests, 2.3% of the model's MOT record.
• "Linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" (Major) — noted on about 65 DS Ds tests, 1.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" (Major) — noted on about 64 DS Ds tests, 1.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" (Major) — noted on about 62 DS Ds tests, 1.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 41 DS Ds tests, 1.0% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst DS Ds Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest DS Ds model year on record is 2022 (90.4% across 1,181 tests), and the weakest is 2021 (87.3%). The gap between them is 3.1 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

DS Ds reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 1.2 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 DS Ds Owners

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

• the wipers and washers — “wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively”

  Run the wipers with the screen wet: they should clear it in one sweep without smearing or juddering. Top the washer bottle up and check both jets hit the screen.

• the suspension joints — “linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt”

  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.

• the tyre tread — “tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm”

  Check all four tyres cold, including the inner shoulder where wear hides — 1.6mm across the central three-quarters is the legal limit, and most testers fail at 1.6mm without argument.

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

Where the DS Ds is most common

Across every Ds model year on record (2020–2022): 3,164 DS Ds cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 4,275 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 118 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 DS Ds 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: DS Ds MOT & Reliability