Pass rate
88.2%
Above average — 16.0 pts ahead of the 72.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 322 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £28–£97
2004 Nissan Skyline MOT pass rate
- 2004
- typical 88,308 mi
Most common fault
Brakes
18.8% 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 100.0% pass
- Avoid 2002 84.8% pass
Across the 19 years on record, a spread of 15.2 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 87.3%
- Typical mileage
- 88k mi
The 2004 Nissan Skyline MOT pass rate is 88.2% of its MOT tests — 16.0 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 18.8% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Nissan Skyline does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Lamps & electrics: 1.5× the national share
Lamps & electrics make up 17.9% of everything recorded on the 2004 Nissan Skyline, against 12.2% nationally — 5.7 points above. Brakes are still the single largest share at 18.8%, 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 72.2% and this one manages 88.2% — 16.0 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
- Failures here tend to be cheap ones. 59% 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 Skyline? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2004 Nissan Skyline compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.2%, so this figure is 16.0 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 87.3%. The median 2004 Nissan Skyline in this dataset had covered 88,308 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 80.3% of the time, April–September 93.0%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Headlamp lens slightly defective", noted on 3.73% of tests.
- 322 recorded tests behind this page.
- 88.2% overall pass rate, 87.3% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Nissan Skyline, the average is 89.3% — best year 2012 (100.0%), worst 2002 (84.8%).
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
- 322
- Typical mileage (median)
- 88,308 mi
- Make and model
- Nissan Skyline
- 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 Skyline MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 73% so small gaps stay visible.
Regional pass rates for the Skyline
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 85 | 88.2% |
| South West | 52 | 88.5% |
| East of England | 43 | 86.0% |
| East Midlands | 31 | 83.9% |
| North West | 26 | 88.5% |
| West Midlands | 25 | 92.0% |
| Yorkshire | 17 | 82.4% |
| Scotland | 17 | 88.2% |
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 2004 Skyline
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 2004 Skyline
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 3.7% 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 2.2% of tests
“catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits”
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 wipers and washers 1.6% of tests
“washers not working”
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 2004 Skyline through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £28–£97 — and 59% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £28–£97
- Cheapest common item: rear fog lamp not working
- £3–£15
- Dearest common item: component mounting prescribed areas…
- £180–£450
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 60%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 59%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 322 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 Skyline, side by side
19 model years on record, from 2000 to 2020. Across them the pass rate runs from 84.8% to 100.0% — a spread of 15.2 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 92.0% catalyst emissions lambda reading…
- 2001 90.8% catalyst emissions lambda reading…
- 2002 84.8% battery(ies) insecure but not…
- 2003 86.8% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2004 88.2%headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2005 90.4% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2006 87.6% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2007 87.5% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2008 88.2% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2009 89.2% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2010 91.9% brake linings less than 1.5 mm…
- 2012 100.0% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2014 87.3% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2015 90.6% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2016 89.0% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2017 92.6% catalyst emissions lambda reading…
- 2018 91.5% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2019 89.1% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2020 87.3% all direction indicators flashing…
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 2004 Nissan Skyline 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 2004 cars with a similar record
- BMW M3 88.2%
- Porsche 911 87.2%
- Bentley Continental 89.2%
- Mercedes-Benz Sl 86.7%
- Honda S2000 86.7%
- Mercedes-Benz S-Class 83.1%
Closest pass rates among 2004 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 2004 Nissan Skyline 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 409 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 | 78 | 18.80% | 20.89% | −2.09 |
| Suspension | 74 | 17.90% | 20.98% | −3.08 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 74 | 17.90% | 12.21% | +5.69 |
| Tyres | 47 | 11.40% | 19.76% | −8.36 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 44 | 10.60% | 5.52% | +5.08 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 43 | 10.40% | 5.57% | +4.83 |
| Visibility | 16 | 3.90% | 4.97% | −1.07 |
| Steering | 15 | 3.60% | 2.57% | +1.03 |
| Non-component advisories | 10 | 2.40% | 4.18% | −1.78 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 8 | 1.90% | 1.76% | +0.14 |
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 | 3.7% | £5–25 |
| Rear fog lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 2.5% | £3–15 |
| Catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 2.2% | £60–250 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 1.9% | £5–25 |
| Catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 1.6% | £60–250 |
| Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 1.6% | £30–80 |
| Washers not working Visibility | Major | 1.6% | £5–15 |
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 1.2% | £18–45 |
| Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Suspension | Major | 0.93% | £180–450 |
| Headlamp not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 0.93% | £5–25 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Advisory | 8.4% | £80–180 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 7.1% | £45–110 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 5.9% | £45–95 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Advisory | 3.7% | £45–120 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 3.7% | £45–95 |
| Exhaust system noise is clearly in excess of that emitted by a similar vehicle fitted with a standard silencer in… Body, chassis, structure | Advisory | 3.4% | £45–120 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 21 | 85.7% | 14,046 mi |
| 30-60k | 29 | 96.6% | 49,693 mi |
| 60-90k | 122 | 86.1% | 76,921 mi |
| 90-120k | 67 | 97.0% | 105,750 mi |
| 120k+ | 76 | 81.6% | 141,577 mi |
Source: 322 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.
2004 Skyline MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2004 Nissan Skyline?
88.2% of the 322 2004 Nissan Skyline tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.2% for cars first used in 2004. First-attempt pass rate: 87.3%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2004 Nissan Skyline?
The three most recorded items are headlamp lens slightly defective (3.73%), rear fog lamp not working (2.48%), catalyst emissions lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits (2.17%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2004 Nissan Skyline MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 85.7% of the time, falling to 81.6% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2004 Nissan Skyline in this dataset had covered 88,308 mi.
Does the season affect the 2004 Nissan Skyline MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 80.3% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 93.0%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.