Nissan Interstar MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Nissan Interstar MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Nissan Interstar passed on its first attempt in 60.9%, and its overall record sits −10.6 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Nissan Interstar in the 2023–2025 data: 837 tests across 8 model years (2002–2022). 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 Nissan Interstar MOT Problems by Failure Category

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

Top Recorded Nissan Interstar DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Nissan Interstar, each with how many of the model's 837 tests it was noted on.

• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 77 Nissan Interstar tests, 9.2% of the model's MOT record.
• "Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated" (Minor) — noted on about 58 Nissan Interstar tests, 6.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements" (Major) — noted on about 53 Nissan Interstar tests, 6.3% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 46 Nissan Interstar tests, 5.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Steering rack gaiter damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt" (Minor) — noted on about 38 Nissan Interstar tests, 4.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Steering rack gaiter missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" (Major) — noted on about 30 Nissan Interstar tests, 3.6% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Nissan Interstar Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Nissan Interstar model year on record is 2022 (88.1% across 84 tests), and the weakest is 2005 (63.1%). The gap between them is 25.0 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Nissan Interstar reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 3.4 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 Nissan Interstar Owners

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

• the lights — “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.

• the windscreen — “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.

• the steering — “steering rack gaiter damaged or deteriorated,”

  With the wheels straight, rock the steering wheel gently with the engine off — more than about an inch of free play before the wheels move is worth investigating. Split rack gaiters are cheap to replace and commonly recorded.

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

Frequently Asked Questions: Nissan Interstar MOT & Reliability