Pass rate
73.9%
Below average — 1.3 pts ahead of the 72.6% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 88 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £58–£151
2003 LDV Pilot MOT pass rate
- 2003
- typical 84,391 mi
Only 88 tests of this exact model and year are in the DVSA data, below the 100 we ask for before a page goes in the index. The figures are still shown, because they are the only ones there are.
Most common fault
Brakes
20.1% of faults · 20.9% nationally
mostly worn pads and discs, corroded pipes and a handbrake that will not hold.
Which year to buy
- Best 2000 84.7% pass
- Avoid 2006 62.0% pass
Across the 5 years on record, a spread of 22.7 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 68.9%
- Typical mileage
- 84k mi
The 2003 LDV Pilot MOT pass rate is 73.9% of its MOT tests — 1.3 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 20.1% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how LDV Pilot does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Steering: 5.7× the national share
Steering accounts for 14.6% of everything recorded on the 2003 LDV Pilot, against 2.6% nationally — 12.0 points above. Brakes are still the single largest share at 20.1%, but at 20.9% nationally that one is ordinary. Ask for the steering to be checked for play with the wheels on the ground, not on a jack.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 33% 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.
- Based on a small sample. 88 tests back this page. That is enough to publish and to index, not enough to treat the decimal places as precise — read the pattern, not the second digit.
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 LDV Pilot? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2003 LDV Pilot compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.6%, so this figure is 1.3 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 68.9%. The median 2003 LDV Pilot in this dataset had covered 84,391 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 77.6% of the time, April–September 69.2%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view", noted on 12.50% of tests.
- 88 recorded tests behind this page.
- 73.9% overall pass rate, 68.9% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the LDV Pilot, the average is 73.3% — best year 2000 (84.7%), worst 2006 (62.0%).
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
- 88
- Typical mileage (median)
- 84,391 mi
- Make and model
- LDV Pilot
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
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 Pilot MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 48% so small gaps stay visible.
Regional pass rates for the Pilot
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 21 | 66.7% |
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 2003 Pilot
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 2003 Pilot
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 12.5% 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 9.1% 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 exhaust and emissions 4.5% of tests
“exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases”
Listen for a blow at idle and have someone rev it gently. Then look at the tailpipe smoke: blue is oil, white when warm is coolant, black is over-fuelling. Any of those and the emissions test is the least of it.
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 2003 Pilot through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £58–£151 — and 33% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £58–£151
- Cheapest common item: rear fog lamp not working
- £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
- 33%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 88 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 Pilot, side by side
5 model years on record, from 2000 to 2006. Across them the pass rate runs from 62.0% to 84.7% — a spread of 22.7 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 84.7% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2001 75.4% mirrors slightly damaged
- 2002 71.6% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2003 73.9%windscreen damaged but not…
- 2006 62.0% component mounting prescribed…
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 2003 LDV Pilot 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 2003 cars with a similar record
- Toyota Corolla 73.9%
- Nissan Almera 73.9%
- Volkswagen Bora 74.0%
- Audi A4 74.1%
- Vauxhall Agila 74.1%
- Volkswagen Lupo 74.1%
Closest pass rates among 2003 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 2003 LDV Pilot 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 301 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 62 | 20.10% | 20.89% | −0.79 |
| Steering | 45 | 14.60% | 2.57% | +12.03 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 39 | 12.70% | 12.21% | +0.49 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 39 | 12.70% | 5.57% | +7.13 |
| Suspension | 31 | 10.10% | 20.98% | −10.88 |
| Tyres | 28 | 9.10% | 19.76% | −10.66 |
| Visibility | 26 | 8.40% | 4.97% | +3.43 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 15 | 4.90% | 5.52% | −0.62 |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 10 | 3.20% | 0.82% | +2.38 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 6 | 1.90% | 1.76% | +0.14 |
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 | 12.5% | £80–200 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 9.1% | £5–20 |
| Service brake imbalance across an axle Brakes | Major | 5.7% | £45–110 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Major | 4.5% | £45–120 |
| Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes | Major | 4.5% | £45–110 |
| Rear fog lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 4.5% | £3–15 |
| Washers provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | Major | 4.5% | £5–15 |
| Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Suspension | Major | 3.4% | £180–450 |
| Door condition cannot be opened from outside the vehicle Body, chassis, structure | Major | 3.4% | £80–250 |
| Integral vehicle structure condition corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced Body, chassis, structure | Major | 3.4% | £180–450 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steering box has excessive free play detected at the steering wheel (steering box fitted) Steering | Advisory | 19.3% | £60–200 |
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Advisory | 17.1% | £80–180 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 12.5% | £45–95 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 11.4% | £45–110 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 11.4% | £200–700 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Advisory | 10.2% | £45–120 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 4 | 100.0% | 11,862 mi |
| 30-60k | 20 | 95.0% | 45,742 mi |
| 60-90k | 25 | 56.0% | 72,921 mi |
| 90-120k | 30 | 70.0% | 101,315 mi |
| 120k+ | 9 | 77.8% | 160,302 mi |
Source: 88 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.
2003 Pilot MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2003 LDV Pilot?
73.9% of the 88 2003 LDV Pilot tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.6% for cars first used in 2003. First-attempt pass rate: 68.9%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2003 LDV Pilot?
The three most recorded items are windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (12.50%), registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (9.09%), service brake imbalance across an axle (5.68%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2003 LDV Pilot MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 100.0% of the time, falling to 77.8% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2003 LDV Pilot in this dataset had covered 84,391 mi.
Does the season affect the 2003 LDV Pilot MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 77.6% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 69.2%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.