Nissan Leaf MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Nissan Leaf MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Nissan Leaf passed on its first attempt in 83.4%, and its overall record sits +4.6 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Nissan Leaf in the 2023–2025 data: 145,719 tests across 13 model years (2011–2023). 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 Leaf MOT Problems by Failure Category

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

Top Recorded Nissan Leaf DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Nissan Leaf, each with how many of the model's 145,719 tests it was noted on.

• "Ball joint excessively worn" (Major) — noted on about 5,447 Nissan Leaf tests, 3.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Wipers blade defective" (Minor) — noted on about 2,938 Nissan Leaf tests, 2.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively" (Major) — noted on about 2,236 Nissan Leaf 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 2,030 Nissan Leaf tests, 1.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 1,986 Nissan Leaf tests, 1.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" (Major) — noted on about 1,873 Nissan Leaf tests, 1.3% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Nissan Leaf Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Nissan Leaf model year on record is 2023 (95.5% across 200 tests), and the weakest is 2013 (72.6%). The gap between them is 22.9 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Nissan Leaf reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 1.4 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 Leaf Owners

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

• 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.

• the wipers and washers — “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.

• 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.

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

Frequently Asked Questions: Nissan Leaf MOT & Reliability