Pass rate
81.6%
Around average — 6.9 pts ahead of the 74.7% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 926 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £9–£27
2010 Nissan Serena MOT pass rate
- 2010
- typical 79,205 mi
Most common fault
Brakes
19.5% of faults · 20.9% nationally
mostly worn pads and discs, corroded pipes and a handbrake that will not hold.
Which year to buy
- Best 2013 89.0% pass
- Avoid 2005 71.8% pass
Across the 18 years on record, a spread of 17.2 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 78.4%
- Typical mileage
- 79k mi
The 2010 Nissan Serena MOT pass rate is 81.6% of its MOT tests — 6.9 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 19.5% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Nissan Serena does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Lamps & electrics: 1.6× the national share
Lamps & electrics make up 19.5% of everything recorded on the 2010 Nissan Serena, against 12.2% nationally — 7.3 points above. Brakes are still the single largest share at 19.5%, 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 74.7% and this one manages 81.6% — 6.9 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
- Failures here tend to be cheap ones. 71% 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 Serena? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2010 Nissan Serena compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 74.7%, so this figure is 6.9 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 78.4%. The median 2010 Nissan Serena in this dataset had covered 79,205 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 80.6% of the time, April–September 82.6%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt", noted on 6.37% of tests.
- 926 recorded tests behind this page.
- 81.6% overall pass rate, 78.4% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Nissan Serena, the average is 83.4% — best year 2013 (89.0%), worst 2005 (71.8%).
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
- 926
- Typical mileage (median)
- 79,205 mi
- Make and model
- Nissan Serena
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Ball Joint
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Serena MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 68% so small gaps stay visible.
Regional pass rates for the Serena
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 182 | 81.3% |
| South West | 136 | 75.7% |
| Scotland | 116 | 79.3% |
| Yorkshire | 94 | 85.1% |
| Wales | 76 | 85.5% |
| East of England | 75 | 81.3% |
| London | 61 | 88.5% |
| North West | 60 | 83.3% |
| North East | 55 | 78.2% |
| West Midlands | 48 | 87.5% |
| East Midlands | 23 | 78.3% |
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 2010 Serena
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 2010 Serena
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 suspension joints 6.4% of tests
“track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated,”
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.
-
Check the lights 3.9% 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 wipers and washers 2.0% 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 2010 Serena through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £9–£27 — and 71% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £9–£27
- Cheapest common item: rear fog lamp does not emit a steady red light
- £3–£15
- Dearest common item: track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged…
- £18–£45
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 100%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 71%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 926 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 Serena, side by side
18 model years on record, from 2004 to 2021. Across them the pass rate runs from 71.8% to 89.0% — a spread of 17.2 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2004 73.6% has ply or cords exposed
- 2005 71.8% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2006 77.4% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2007 76.5% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2008 79.7% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2009 82.7% track rod end ball joint dust…
- 2010 81.6%track rod end ball joint dust…
- 2011 84.8% track rod end ball joint dust…
- 2012 83.9% track rod end ball joint dust…
- 2013 89.0% track rod end ball joint dust…
- 2014 89.0% track rod end ball joint dust…
- 2015 86.3% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2016 86.1% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2017 83.0% ball joint excessively worn
- 2018 80.5% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2019 85.2% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2020 81.2% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2021 78.9% track rod end ball joint dust…
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 2010 Nissan Serena 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 2010 cars with a similar record
- Volvo S60 81.5%
- BMW 530 81.7%
- Jaguar Xj 81.7%
- Subaru Impreza 81.4%
- Honda Cr-V 81.8%
- Mazda Mx-5 81.9%
Closest pass rates among 2010 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 2010 Nissan Serena 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 1,543 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 | 303 | 19.50% | 20.89% | −1.39 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 302 | 19.50% | 12.21% | +7.29 |
| Suspension | 254 | 16.40% | 20.98% | −4.58 |
| Tyres | 250 | 16.10% | 19.76% | −3.66 |
| Steering | 146 | 9.40% | 2.57% | +6.83 |
| Non-component advisories | 99 | 6.40% | 4.18% | +2.22 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 74 | 4.80% | 5.52% | −0.72 |
| Visibility | 73 | 4.70% | 4.97% | −0.27 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 28 | 1.80% | 5.57% | −3.77 |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 14 | 0.90% | 0.82% | +0.08 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt Steering | Minor | 6.4% | £18–45 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 3.9% | £5–20 |
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 2.9% | £5–25 |
| Rear fog lamp does not emit a steady red light Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 2.6% | £3–15 |
| Rear fog lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 2.5% | £3–15 |
| Wipers blade defective Visibility | Minor | 2.0% | £8–22 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 1.9% | £5–25 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Rectified | 1.4% | £5–25 |
| Rear fog lamp missing Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 1.4% | £3–15 |
| Track rod end ball joint has excessive play Steering | Major | 1.4% | £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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 15.3% | £18–45 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 13.9% | £45–95 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 9.6% | £45–110 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 9.5% | £40–150 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 7.0% | £45–95 |
| Track rod end ball joint has excessive play Steering | Advisory | 5.4% | £18–45 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 7 | 85.7% | 21,287 mi |
| 30-60k | 171 | 88.3% | 51,090 mi |
| 60-90k | 429 | 82.8% | 74,799 mi |
| 90-120k | 235 | 76.2% | 103,685 mi |
| 120k+ | 83 | 77.1% | 142,386 mi |
Source: 926 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.
2010 Serena MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2010 Nissan Serena?
81.6% of the 926 2010 Nissan Serena tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 74.7% for cars first used in 2010. First-attempt pass rate: 78.4%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2010 Nissan Serena?
The three most recorded items are track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (6.37%), registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (3.89%), headlamp lens slightly defective (2.92%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2010 Nissan Serena MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 85.7% of the time, falling to 77.1% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2010 Nissan Serena in this dataset had covered 79,205 mi.
Does the season affect the 2010 Nissan Serena MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 80.6% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 82.6%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.