Pass rate
72.5%
Below average — 4.7 pts behind the 77.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 6,655 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £38–£110
2012 Nissan X-Trail MOT pass rate
- 2012
- typical 100,741 mi
Most common fault
Suspension
34.2% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Part only £35–£75 for Suspension pin or bush excessively worn. What fitting it takes →
4.7 pts down across model years — 6.8% in 2002, 2.1% in 2021.
Which year to buy
- Best 2023 96.6% pass
- Avoid 2006 67.6% pass
Across the 23 years on record, a spread of 29 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 63.2%
- Typical mileage
- 101k mi
The 2012 Nissan X-Trail MOT pass rate is 72.5% of its MOT tests — 4.7 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 34.2% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Nissan X-Trail does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Suspension: 1.6× the national share
Suspension accounts for 34.2% of everything recorded on the 2012 Nissan X-Trail, against 21.0% nationally — 13.2 points above. Ask for the front and rear suspension to be checked on a ramp before you buy — worn bushes and broken springs are cheap to look at and expensive to discover at test time.
- Falls short of its own age and mileage. Like-for-like, cars this age and mileage expect about 77.2%; this one manages 72.5% — 4.7 points below. Age is a fair excuse; this is not age.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 6% 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 X-Trail? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2012 Nissan X-Trail compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 77.2%, so this figure is 4.7 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 63.2%. The median 2012 Nissan X-Trail in this dataset had covered 100,741 mi.
The most common fuel recorded here is Diesel — 99% of tests, with a 72.5% pass rate. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 72.7% of the time, April–September 72.3%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Ball joint excessively worn", noted on 10.47% of tests.
- 6,655 recorded tests behind this page.
- 72.5% overall pass rate, 63.2% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Nissan X-Trail, the average is 78.8% — best year 2023 (96.6%), worst 2006 (67.6%).
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
- 6,655
- Typical mileage (median)
- 100,741 mi
- Make and model
- Nissan X-Trail
- 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 X-Trail MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 59% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Diesel is the most common here (99% of tests).
Regional pass rates for the X-Trail
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South West | 1,142 | 70.9% |
| South East | 1,017 | 74.3% |
| East of England | 687 | 74.1% |
| North West | 663 | 71.5% |
| Yorkshire | 652 | 70.2% |
| Scotland | 630 | 71.0% |
| West Midlands | 567 | 74.3% |
| East Midlands | 535 | 74.4% |
| North East | 476 | 70.6% |
| Wales | 267 | 76.8% |
| London | 19 | 63.2% |
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 2012 X-Trail
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 X-Trail
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 10.5% of tests
“ball joint excessively worn”
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 windscreen 2.9% 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.
-
Check the lights 2.5% 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.
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 X-Trail through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £38–£110 — and 6% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £38–£110
- Cheapest common item: registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the…
- £5–£20
- Dearest common item: joints constant velocity boot split or…
- £80–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 60%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 6%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 6,655 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 X-Trail, side by side
23 model years on record, from 2001 to 2023. Across them the pass rate runs from 67.6% to 96.6% — a spread of 29 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2001 71.1% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2002 70.0% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2003 68.9% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2004 68.5% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2005 68.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2006 67.6% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2007 68.5% ball joint excessively worn
- 2008 68.5% track rod end ball joint has…
- 2009 69.5% track rod end ball joint has…
- 2010 69.2% ball joint excessively worn
- 2011 70.5% ball joint excessively worn
- 2012 72.5%ball joint excessively worn
- 2013 74.6% ball joint excessively worn
- 2014 75.6% ball joint excessively worn
- 2015 77.3% ball joint excessively worn
- 2016 80.7% ball joint excessively worn
- 2017 84.0% ball joint excessively worn
- 2018 87.3% brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick
- 2019 88.6% brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick
- 2020 90.7% wipers blade defective
- 2021 90.6% brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick
- 2022 95.1% has ply or cords exposed
- 2023 96.6% joints constant velocity boot…
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 X-Trail 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
- Renault Scenic 72.5%
- Kia Optima 72.5%
- Renault Twingo 72.4%
- Kia Ceed 72.7%
- Suzuki SX4 72.7%
- Hyundai I800 72.7%
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 X-Trail 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 14,883 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 | 5,138 | 34.20% | 20.98% | +13.22 |
| Brakes | 3,820 | 25.40% | 20.89% | +4.51 |
| Tyres | 1,877 | 12.50% | 19.76% | −7.26 |
| Steering | 1,036 | 6.90% | 2.57% | +4.33 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 835 | 5.60% | 5.57% | +0.03 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 725 | 4.80% | 12.21% | −7.41 |
| Visibility | 566 | 3.80% | 4.97% | −1.17 |
| Non-component advisories | 497 | 3.30% | 4.18% | −0.88 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 260 | 1.70% | 5.52% | −3.82 |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 129 | 0.90% | 0.82% | +0.08 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 10.5% | £18–45 |
| Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | Major | 5.1% | £80–250 |
| Track rod end ball joint has excessive play Steering | Major | 4.7% | £18–45 |
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 4.1% | £18–45 |
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 4.0% | £80–250 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 2.9% | £80–200 |
| Track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt Steering | Minor | 2.8% | £18–45 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Major | 2.8% | £40–150 |
| Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes | Major | 2.5% | £45–110 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 2.5% | £5–20 |
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 | 17.3% | £45–95 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 14.8% | £40–150 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 13.6% | £45–110 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 11.4% | £18–45 |
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Advisory | 8.3% | £80–180 |
| Suspension arm corroded and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 8.0% | £35–85 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 50 | 88.0% | 21,139 mi |
| 30-60k | 565 | 81.9% | 50,073 mi |
| 60-90k | 1,808 | 76.7% | 76,448 mi |
| 90-120k | 2,277 | 71.3% | 103,980 mi |
| 120k+ | 1,953 | 67.0% | 143,732 mi |
Source: 6,655 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 X-Trail MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2012 Nissan X-Trail?
72.5% of the 6,655 2012 Nissan X-Trail tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 77.2% for cars first used in 2012. First-attempt pass rate: 63.2%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2012 Nissan X-Trail?
The three most recorded items are ball joint excessively worn (10.47%), joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (5.11%), track rod end ball joint has excessive play (4.70%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2012 Nissan X-Trail MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 88.0% of the time, falling to 67.0% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2012 Nissan X-Trail in this dataset had covered 100,741 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2012 Nissan X-Trail?
Diesel: 72.5% pass rate across 6,620 tests. Petrol: 77.1% pass rate across 35 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2012 Nissan X-Trail MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 72.7% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 72.3%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.