Pass rate
100.0%
Above average — 22.8 pts ahead of the 77.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 52 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £47–£134
2012 Nissan Skyline MOT pass rate
- 2012
- typical 81,586 mi
Only 52 tests of this exact model and year are in the DVSA data, below the 100 we ask for before a page goes in the index. The figures are still shown, because they are the only ones there are.
Most common fault
Body & chassis
24.1% of faults · 5.6% nationally
Which year to buy
- Best 2012 100.0% pass · this year
- Avoid 2002 84.8% pass
Across the 19 years on record, a spread of 15.2 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 100.0%
- Typical mileage
- 82k mi
The 2012 Nissan Skyline MOT pass rate is 100.0% of its MOT tests — 22.8 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Body & chassis is the biggest single reason it fails, at 24.1% 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
Body & chassis: 4.3× the national share
Body & chassis accounts for 24.1% of everything recorded on the 2012 Nissan Skyline, against 5.6% nationally — 18.5 points above. Look underneath for corrosion near the jacking points and suspension mounts; surface rust is normal, flaking metal is not.
- 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 77.2% and this one manages 100.0% — 22.8 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
- Failures here tend to be cheap ones. 56% 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 2012 Nissan Skyline compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 77.2%, so this figure is 22.8 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 100.0%. The median 2012 Nissan Skyline in this dataset had covered 81,586 mi.
The single most recorded failure item is "Headlamp lens slightly defective", noted on 3.85% of tests.
- 52 recorded tests behind this page.
- 100.0% overall pass rate, 100.0% 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
- 52
- Typical mileage (median)
- 81,586 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 92% so small gaps stay visible.
Regional pass rates for the Skyline
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| East of England | 17 | 100.0% |
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 2012 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 2012 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 3.9% 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 steering 3.9% of tests
“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.
-
Check the wipers and washers 1.9% of tests
“washers provides insufficient washer liquid”
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 2012 Skyline through its MOT
Across the 6 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £47–£134 — and 56% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 6 common items
- £47–£134
- Cheapest common item: outline marker lamp light intensity obviously…
- £3–£15
- Dearest common item: steering rack gaiter damaged or deteriorated,
- £120–£300
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 67%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 56%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 52 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 2012 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 2012 cars with a similar record
- Porsche 911 93.4%
- Bentley Continental 93.4%
- Porsche Boxster 91.6%
- Audi A8 90.2%
- Honda Fit 89.3%
- Toyota Estima 88.3%
Closest pass rates among 2012 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 2012 Nissan Skyline 6 failure items · 6 advisories · 7 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold
Every inspection category
Shares of the 29 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body, chassis, structure | 7 | 24.10% | 5.57% | +18.53 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 6 | 20.70% | 5.52% | +15.18 |
| Steering | 5 | 17.20% | 2.57% | +14.63 |
| Suspension | 4 | 13.80% | 20.98% | −7.18 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 3 | 10.30% | 12.21% | −1.91 |
| Tyres | 2 | 6.90% | 19.76% | −12.86 |
| Visibility | 2 | 6.90% | 4.97% | +1.93 |
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 | 3.9% | £5–25 |
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 3.9% | £80–250 |
| Steering rack gaiter damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt Steering | Minor | 3.9% | £120–300 |
| Outline marker lamp light intensity obviously reduced Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 1.9% | £3–15 |
| Washers provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | Rectified | 1.9% | £5–15 |
| Wipers blade defective Visibility | Minor | 1.9% | £8–22 |
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 | 5.8% | £200–700 |
| Other components leaking Steering | Advisory | 5.8% | £60–200 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 5.8% | £40–150 |
| Transmission oil leaks leaking excessively from transmission Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 5.8% | £200–700 |
| Exhaust system noise is clearly in excess of that emitted by a similar vehicle fitted with a standard silencer in… Body, chassis, structure | Advisory | 3.9% | £45–120 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 1.9% | £18–45 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 3 | 100.0% | 19,644 mi |
| 30-60k | 13 | 100.0% | 44,835 mi |
| 60-90k | 17 | 100.0% | 77,052 mi |
| 90-120k | 13 | 100.0% | 101,973 mi |
| 120k+ | 6 | 100.0% | 141,096 mi |
Source: 52 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.
2012 Skyline MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2012 Nissan Skyline?
100.0% of the 52 2012 Nissan Skyline tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 77.2% for cars first used in 2012. First-attempt pass rate: 100.0%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2012 Nissan Skyline?
The three most recorded items are headlamp lens slightly defective (3.85%), joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated (3.85%), steering rack gaiter damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (3.85%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2012 Nissan Skyline MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 100.0% of the time, falling to 100.0% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2012 Nissan Skyline in this dataset had covered 81,586 mi.