Pass rate
91.5%
Above average — 3.6 pts ahead of the 87.9% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 129 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £45–£129
2018 Nissan Skyline MOT pass rate
- 2018
- typical 81,003 mi
Most common fault
Suspension
24.7% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
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
- 91.0%
- Typical mileage
- 81k mi
The 2018 Nissan Skyline MOT pass rate is 91.5% of its MOT tests — 3.6 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 24.7% 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
Fewer problems with tyres
Tyres are 10.8% of this car’s recorded faults, against 19.8% nationally — the mirror image of the usual story on a car of this age.
- 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 87.9% and this one manages 91.5% — 3.6 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 19% of this model’s typical repairs come in under £30 in parts — the failures here tend to be the kind that need a garage rather than a bulb.
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 2018 Nissan Skyline compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 87.9%, so this figure is 3.6 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 91.0%. The median 2018 Nissan Skyline in this dataset had covered 81,003 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 89.4% of the time, April–September 92.7%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated", noted on 5.43% of tests.
- 129 recorded tests behind this page.
- 91.5% overall pass rate, 91.0% 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
- 129
- Typical mileage (median)
- 81,003 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
Ball Joint
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Skyline MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 65% so small gaps stay visible.
Regional pass rates for the Skyline
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 26 | 92.3% |
| South West | 17 | 88.2% |
| East of England | 17 | 94.1% |
| Scotland | 16 | 87.5% |
| North East | 16 | 87.5% |
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 2018 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 2018 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 suspension joints 5.4% of tests
“ball joint dust cover severely 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 2.3% of tests
“headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect”
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 windscreen 2.3% of tests
“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.
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 2018 Skyline through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £45–£129 — and 19% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £45–£129
- Cheapest common item: rear fog lamp does not emit a steady red light
- £3–£15
- Dearest common item: component mounting prescribed areas…
- £180–£450
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 50%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 19%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 129 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 2018 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 2018 cars with a similar record
- Subaru Xv 91.5%
- BMW I3 91.6%
- BMW M3 91.4%
- Porsche Panamera 91.4%
- Mazda Cx-3 91.8%
- Mercedes-Benz Slc 91.2%
Closest pass rates among 2018 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 2018 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 164 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 41 | 24.70% | 20.98% | +3.72 |
| Brakes | 30 | 18.10% | 20.89% | −2.79 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 25 | 15.10% | 12.21% | +2.89 |
| Tyres | 18 | 10.80% | 19.76% | −8.96 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 12 | 7.20% | 5.57% | +1.63 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 12 | 7.20% | 5.52% | +1.68 |
| Steering | 11 | 6.60% | 2.57% | +4.03 |
| Visibility | 7 | 4.20% | 4.97% | −0.77 |
| Non-component advisories | 6 | 3.60% | 4.18% | −0.58 |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 2 | 1.20% | 0.82% | +0.38 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 5.4% | £18–45 |
| Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 2.3% | £30–80 |
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 2.3% | £5–25 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 2.3% | £80–200 |
| Battery(ies) insecure but not likely to fall from carrier Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 1.6% | £60–140 |
| Catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 1.6% | £60–250 |
| Catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content at idle exceeds default limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 1.6% | £60–250 |
| Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Suspension | Major | 1.6% | £180–450 |
| Rear fog lamp does not emit a steady red light Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 1.6% | £3–15 |
| Ball joint has excessive play Steering | Major | 0.78% | £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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 10.8% | £45–95 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 7.0% | £18–45 |
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Advisory | 4.7% | £80–180 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 3.9% | £45–110 |
| Linkage ball joints ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 3.9% | £18–45 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 3.9% | £40–150 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30-60k | 23 | 95.7% | 50,176 mi |
| 60-90k | 55 | 92.7% | 74,608 mi |
| 90-120k | 35 | 94.3% | 105,613 mi |
| 120k+ | 15 | 73.3% | 147,332 mi |
Source: 129 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.
2018 Skyline MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2018 Nissan Skyline?
91.5% of the 129 2018 Nissan Skyline tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 87.9% for cars first used in 2018. First-attempt pass rate: 91.0%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2018 Nissan Skyline?
The three most recorded items are ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated (5.43%), headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect (2.33%), headlamp lens slightly defective (2.33%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2018 Nissan Skyline MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 95.7% of the time, falling to 73.3% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2018 Nissan Skyline in this dataset had covered 81,003 mi.
Does the season affect the 2018 Nissan Skyline MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 89.4% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 92.7%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.