Nissan Terrano MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Nissan Terrano MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Nissan Terrano passed on its first attempt in 63.0%, and its overall record sits −10.1 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Nissan Terrano in the 2023–2025 data: 5,118 tests across 7 model years (2000–2006). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.

Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.

Most Common Nissan Terrano MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Nissan Terrano, the Body, chassis, structure section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.

Shares are over the Nissan Terrano's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Nissan Terrano DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Nissan Terrano, each with how many of the model's 5,118 tests it was noted on.

• "Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated" (Minor) — noted on about 386 Nissan Terrano tests, 7.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 325 Nissan Terrano tests, 6.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" (Major) — noted on about 286 Nissan Terrano tests, 5.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength" (Major) — noted on about 244 Nissan Terrano tests, 4.8% of the model's MOT record.
• "Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases" (Major) — noted on about 187 Nissan Terrano tests, 3.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Position lamp not working" (Major) — noted on about 155 Nissan Terrano tests, 3.0% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Nissan Terrano Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Nissan Terrano model year on record is 2000 (76.1% across 222 tests), and the weakest is 2006 (67.7%). The gap between them is 8.4 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Nissan Terrano reliability is declining in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 1.3 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.

Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Nissan Terrano Owners

These checks follow this Nissan Terrano's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Nissan Terrano.

• the windscreen — “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.

• corrosion — “component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength”

  Look under the sills, around the jacking points and where the suspension mounts meet the body. Flaking, holed or crumbly metal fails; a brown stain on sound metal does not.

• the exhaust and emissions — “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.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Nissan Terrano. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Where the Nissan Terrano is most common

Across every Terrano model year on record (2000–2006): 2,054 Nissan Terrano cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 5,118 tests. Peterborough (PE) has the most, with 74 cars tested there. Cars are counted by the postcode area of the MOT station, so this is where they were tested, not necessarily where their owners live.

The twenty areas with the most Nissan Terrano cars in the record, sorted by car count — sort the columns for a different question. Cars tested at a station whose postcode area could not be resolved are counted in the model's total but in no area, so the shares add up to slightly under 100% even across every area, and an area's cars are a subset of the model's. Pass rate is blank below 30 tests in an area, where a percentage is noise rather than a finding. How this model's pass rate varies by postcode →

Frequently Asked Questions: Nissan Terrano MOT & Reliability