Pass rate
89.6%
Above average — 12.4 pts ahead of the 77.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 376 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £17–£51
2012 Nissan Cube MOT pass rate
- 2012
- typical 53,862 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Brakes
23.7% of faults · 20.9% nationally
mostly worn pads and discs, corroded pipes and a handbrake that will not hold.
Which year to buy
- Best 2012 89.6% pass · this year
- Avoid 2002 69.6% pass
Across the 20 years on record, a spread of 20 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 88.6%
- Typical mileage
- 54k mi
The 2012 Nissan Cube MOT pass rate is 89.6% of its MOT tests — 12.4 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 23.7% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Lamps & electrics: 1.9× the national share
Lamps & electrics make up 23.3% of everything recorded on the 2012 Nissan Cube, against 12.2% nationally — 11.1 points above. Brakes are still the single largest share at 23.7%, but at 20.9% 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.
- Beats its own age and mileage. Once you allow for how old and how far these cars have been driven, the expected pass rate is 77.2% and this one manages 89.6% — 12.4 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
- Failures here tend to be cheap ones. 68% of the repairs this model fails on cost under £30 in parts. The pass rate matters less than what a bad afternoon at the test centre actually costs you.
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 Nissan Cube? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2012 Nissan Cube compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 77.2%, so this figure is 12.4 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 88.6%. The median 2012 Nissan Cube in this dataset had covered 53,862 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 88.9% of the time, April–September 90.2%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Rear fog lamp missing", noted on 2.93% of tests.
- 376 recorded tests behind this page.
- 89.6% overall pass rate, 88.6% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Nissan Cube, the average is 78.5% — best year 2012 (89.6%), worst 2002 (69.6%).
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
- 376
- Typical mileage (median)
- 53,862 mi
- Make and model
- Nissan Cube
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Bulb
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Cube MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 58% so small gaps stay visible.
Where the Nissan Cube is most common
Across all Cube model years on record (2002–2021): 4,277 Nissan Cube cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 10,183 tests. Bristol (BS) has the most, with 167 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 | Bristol (BS) | 167 | 75.3% |
| 2 | Basildon (SS) | 159 | 92.4% |
| 3 | Birmingham (B) | 128 | 82.8% |
| 4 | London (N) | 119 | 87.7% |
| 5 | Brighton (BN) | 102 | 72.3% |
| 6 | London (SE) | 92 | 85.2% |
| 7 | Derby (DE) | 88 | 86.9% |
| 8 | London (E) | 83 | 88.2% |
| 9 | Newcastle upon Tyne (NE) | 77 | 77.2% |
| 10 | Sheffield (S) | 74 | 76.0% |
| 11 | Coventry (CV) | 73 | 74.6% |
| 12 | Nottingham (NG) | 72 | 75.3% |
| 13 | Portsmouth (PO) | 71 | 75.8% |
| 14 | Cardiff (CF) | 70 | 72.3% |
| 15 | Swansea (SA) | 64 | 78.6% |
| 16 | Ashford (TN) | 62 | 74.4% |
| 17 | Poole (BH) | 61 | 71.7% |
| 18 | Newport (NP) | 61 | 85.5% |
| 19 | Peterborough (PE) | 60 | 74.2% |
| 20 | Glasgow (G) | 60 | 84.6% |
The twenty areas with the most Nissan Cube 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 Cube
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 94 | 88.3% |
| East Midlands | 49 | 93.9% |
| South West | 45 | 80.0% |
| East of England | 36 | 91.7% |
| London | 29 | 93.1% |
| Wales | 28 | 96.4% |
| North West | 25 | 96.0% |
| West Midlands | 23 | 91.3% |
| North East | 17 | 82.4% |
| Yorkshire | 15 | 80.0% |
| Scotland | 15 | 93.3% |
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 2012 Cube
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 2012 Cube
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 lights 2.9% of tests
“rear fog lamp missing”
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 tyre tread 1.1% of tests
“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.
-
Check the wipers and washers 1.1% of tests
“wipers blade defective”
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.
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 2012 Cube through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £17–£51 — and 68% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £17–£51
- Cheapest common item: rear fog lamp missing
- £3–£15
- Dearest common item: joints constant velocity boot severely…
- £80–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 90%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 68%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 376 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 Cube, side by side
20 model years on record, from 2002 to 2021. Across them the pass rate runs from 69.6% to 89.6% — a spread of 20 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2002 69.6% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2003 78.2% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2004 77.5% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2005 82.4% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2006 79.9% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2007 79.5% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2008 81.9% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2009 81.3% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2010 75.0% ball joint excessively worn
- 2011 81.3% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2012 89.6%rear fog lamp missing
- 2013 87.7% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2014 73.2% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2015 73.6% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2016 77.1% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2017 76.3% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2018 82.9% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2019 78.7% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2020 79.5% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2021 79.6% joints constant velocity boot…
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 2012 Nissan Cube 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 2012 cars with a similar record
- Honda Fit 89.3%
- Audi A8 90.2%
- Toyota Estima 88.3%
- Lexus Rx 88.3%
- Lexus RX450H 88.0%
- Porsche Boxster 91.6%
Closest pass rates among 2012 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 2012 Nissan Cube 10 failure items · 6 advisories · 9 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold
Every inspection category
Shares of the 236 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 | 56 | 23.70% | 20.89% | +2.81 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 55 | 23.30% | 12.21% | +11.09 |
| Tyres | 54 | 22.90% | 19.76% | +3.14 |
| Suspension | 31 | 13.10% | 20.98% | −7.88 |
| Visibility | 14 | 5.90% | 4.97% | +0.93 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 9 | 3.80% | 5.57% | −1.77 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 8 | 3.40% | 5.52% | −2.12 |
| Non-component advisories | 6 | 2.50% | 4.18% | −1.68 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 3 | 1.30% | 1.76% | −0.46 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rear fog lamp missing Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 2.9% | £3–15 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 1.3% | £5–25 |
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 1.1% | £80–250 |
| Switch missing Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 1.1% | £5–25 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Major | 1.1% | £45–95 |
| Wipers blade defective Visibility | Minor | 1.1% | £8–22 |
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 0.80% | £18–45 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 0.80% | £18–45 |
| Position lamp incorrect colour Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 0.80% | £5–25 |
| Rear fog lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 0.80% | £3–15 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 6.7% | £45–95 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 5.0% | £45–110 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 4.8% | £45–95 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 4.3% | £18–45 |
| Service brake performance excessively fluctuating Brakes | Advisory | 2.7% | £60–150 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 1.9% | £40–150 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 38 | 89.5% | 22,499 mi |
| 30-60k | 199 | 92.0% | 45,632 mi |
| 60-90k | 117 | 90.6% | 70,632 mi |
| 90-120k | 18 | 66.7% | 102,700 mi |
| 120k+ | 3 | 66.7% | 192,096 mi |
Source: 376 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.
2012 Cube MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2012 Nissan Cube?
89.6% of the 376 2012 Nissan Cube tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 77.2% for cars first used in 2012. First-attempt pass rate: 88.6%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2012 Nissan Cube?
The three most recorded items are rear fog lamp missing (2.93%), position lamp not working (1.33%), joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated (1.06%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2012 Nissan Cube MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 89.5% of the time, falling to 66.7% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2012 Nissan Cube in this dataset had covered 53,862 mi.
Does the season affect the 2012 Nissan Cube MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 88.9% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 90.2%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.