Pass rate
71.7%
Below average — 0.9 pts behind the 72.6% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 1,549 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £25–£68
2003 Nissan Primera MOT pass rate
- 2003
- typical 92,502 mi
Most common fault
Lamps & electrics
20.5% of faults · 12.2% nationally
Part only £6–£18 for Registration plate lamp inoperative (multiple lamps). What fitting it takes →
Which year to buy
- Best 2001 76.1% pass
- Avoid 2002 71.3% pass
Across the 7 years on record, a spread of 4.8 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 63.4%
- Typical mileage
- 93k mi
The 2003 Nissan Primera MOT pass rate is 71.7% of its MOT tests — about what its age and mileage predict. Lamps & electrics is the biggest single reason it fails, at 20.5% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Nissan Primera does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Lamps & electrics: 1.7× the national share
Lamps & electrics make up 20.5% of everything recorded on the 2003 Nissan Primera, against 12.2% nationally — 8.3 points above. 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.
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 Primera? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2003 Nissan Primera compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.6%, so this figure is 0.9 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 63.4%. The median 2003 Nissan Primera in this dataset had covered 92,502 mi.
91% of the tests on this vehicle ran on Petrol, which passed 71.6% of the time. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 70.7% of the time, April–September 73.0%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Headlamp lens slightly defective", noted on 8.46% of tests.
- 1,549 recorded tests behind this page.
- 71.7% overall pass rate, 63.4% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Nissan Primera, the average is 72.8% — best year 2001 (76.1%), worst 2002 (71.3%).
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
- 1,549
- Typical mileage (median)
- 92,502 mi
- Make and model
- Nissan Primera
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Headlight Bulb
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Primera MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 60% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Petrol is the most common here (91% of tests).
Regional pass rates for the Primera
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 413 | 74.1% |
| East of England | 200 | 69.5% |
| London | 188 | 76.1% |
| Yorkshire | 149 | 68.5% |
| North West | 141 | 73.0% |
| South West | 135 | 63.0% |
| West Midlands | 110 | 80.9% |
| East Midlands | 97 | 69.1% |
| Scotland | 45 | 60.0% |
| Wales | 39 | 66.7% |
| North East | 32 | 75.0% |
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 Primera
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 Primera
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 8.5% of tests
“headlamp lens slightly defective”
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 3.0% 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.
-
Check the battery 2.9% of tests
“battery(ies) insecure”
Check the battery is secure and its terminals are clean and tight — a loose battery is a fail on its own, and a weak one shows up as slow cranking on a cold morning.
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 Primera through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £25–£68 — and 51% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £25–£68
- Cheapest common item: stop lamp not working
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: windscreen damaged
- £80–£200
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 70%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 51%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 1,549 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 Primera, side by side
7 model years on record, from 2000 to 2006. Across them the pass rate runs from 71.3% to 76.1% — a spread of 4.8 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 71.4% component mounting prescribed…
- 2001 76.1% component mounting prescribed…
- 2002 71.3% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2003 71.7%headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2004 73.2% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2005 72.7% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2006 73.4% headlamp lens slightly defective
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 Nissan Primera 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
- Honda Civic 71.7%
- Mitsubishi L200 71.7%
- Toyota Celica 71.7%
- Suzuki Ignis 71.7%
- Suzuki Wagon-R+ 71.6%
- Renault Megane 71.6%
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 Nissan Primera 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 5,494 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 1,142 | 20.50% | 12.21% | +8.29 |
| Brakes | 1,091 | 19.60% | 20.89% | −1.29 |
| Suspension | 1,055 | 18.90% | 20.98% | −2.08 |
| Tyres | 600 | 10.80% | 19.76% | −8.96 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 524 | 9.40% | 5.52% | +3.88 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 420 | 7.50% | 5.57% | +1.93 |
| Visibility | 174 | 3.10% | 4.97% | −1.87 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 171 | 3.10% | 1.76% | +1.34 |
| Steering | 169 | 3.00% | 2.57% | +0.43 |
| Non-component advisories | 148 | 2.70% | 4.18% | −1.48 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 8.5% | £5–25 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 3.9% | £5–20 |
| Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes | Major | 3.6% | £45–110 |
| Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 3.5% | £30–80 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 3.3% | £5–25 |
| Stop lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 3.2% | £3–12 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Major | 3.0% | £45–120 |
| Battery(ies) insecure but not likely to fall from carrier Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 2.9% | £60–140 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 2.7% | £80–200 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 2.6% | £18–45 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 18.3% | £200–700 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 16.9% | £45–95 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 15.6% | £45–95 |
| Linkage ball joints ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 11.8% | £18–45 |
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Advisory | 11.2% | £80–180 |
| Coil spring corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 10.8% | £25–65 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 27 | 88.9% | 25,059 mi |
| 30-60k | 210 | 77.6% | 48,844 mi |
| 60-90k | 480 | 73.1% | 76,002 mi |
| 90-120k | 531 | 69.3% | 104,030 mi |
| 120k+ | 300 | 68.3% | 146,635 mi |
Source: 1,549 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 Primera MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2003 Nissan Primera?
71.7% of the 1,549 2003 Nissan Primera tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.6% for cars first used in 2003. First-attempt pass rate: 63.4%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2003 Nissan Primera?
The three most recorded items are headlamp lens slightly defective (8.46%), registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (3.94%), rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements (3.62%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2003 Nissan Primera MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 88.9% of the time, falling to 68.3% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2003 Nissan Primera in this dataset had covered 92,502 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2003 Nissan Primera?
Petrol: 71.6% pass rate across 1,412 tests. Diesel: 73.5% pass rate across 136 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2003 Nissan Primera MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 70.7% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 73.0%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.