Pass rate
76.5%
Around average — 3.9 pts ahead of the 72.6% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 51 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £34–£98
2003 Opel Zafira MOT pass rate
- 2003
- 2 trims combined
- typical 125,182 mi
Only 51 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
Brakes
31.0% of faults · 20.9% nationally
mostly worn pads and discs, corroded pipes and a handbrake that will not hold.
Part only £25–£55 for Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded. What fitting it takes →
Which year to buy
- Best 2003 76.5% pass · this year
- Avoid 2001 68.8% pass
Across the 3 years on record, a spread of 7.7 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 68.4%
- Typical mileage
- 125k mi
The 2003 Opel Zafira MOT pass rate is 76.5% of its MOT tests — 3.9 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 31.0% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Opel Zafira does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Brakes: 1.5× the national share
Brakes make up 31.0% of everything recorded on the 2003 Opel Zafira, against 20.9% nationally — 10.1 points above. Have the discs and pads measured rather than glanced at, and ask whether the handbrake holds on a slope.
- 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 72.6% and this one manages 76.5% — 3.9 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 35% 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 Opel Zafira? Get an email when these numbers change .
Every Opel Zafira first registered in 2003 is combined here — 2 trim and body variants in total — so the sample is as large as the DVSA data allows.
How does the 2003 Opel Zafira compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.6%, so this figure is 3.9 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 68.4%. The median 2003 Opel Zafira in this dataset had covered 125,182 mi.
The most common fuel recorded here is Petrol — 80% of tests, with a 73.2% pass rate.
The single most recorded failure item is "Position lamp not working", noted on 5.88% of tests.
- 51 recorded tests behind this page.
- 76.5% overall pass rate, 68.4% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Opel Zafira, the average is 73.3% — best year 2003 (76.5%), worst 2001 (68.8%).
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
- 51
- Typical mileage (median)
- 125,182 mi
- Make and model
- Opel Zafira
- 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 Zafira MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 42% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Petrol is the most common here (80% of tests).
Regional pass rates for the Zafira
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 24 | 70.8% |
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 2003 Zafira
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 2003 Zafira
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 5.9% of tests
“position lamp not working”
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 suspension joints 3.9% of tests
“linkage ball joints 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 brake pipes 3.9% of tests
“rigid brake pipes excessively corroded”
Brake pipes run under the car, usually in front of the rear wheels. Flaking or crusty metal is what fails; a light dusting of surface rust does not. Worth asking a garage to look while it is on a ramp.
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 2003 Zafira through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £34–£98 — and 35% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £34–£98
- Cheapest common item: registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the…
- £5–£20
- Dearest common item: joints constant velocity boot severely…
- £80–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 60%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 35%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 51 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 Zafira, side by side
3 model years on record, from 2001 to 2003. Across them the pass rate runs from 68.8% to 76.5% — a spread of 7.7 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2001 68.8% mirrors slightly loose
- 2002 74.5% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2003 76.5%position lamp not working
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 2003 Opel Zafira 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 2003 cars with a similar record
- MG Tf 76.5%
- Toyota MR2 76.4%
- BMW 3 Series 76.9%
- Land Rover Discovery 76.1%
- Land Rover Range Rover 76.0%
- Toyota RAV4 75.9%
Closest pass rates among 2003 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 2003 Opel Zafira 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 140 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 | 44 | 31.00% | 20.89% | +10.11 |
| Tyres | 18 | 12.70% | 19.76% | −7.06 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 15 | 10.60% | 5.57% | +5.03 |
| Suspension | 13 | 9.20% | 20.98% | −11.78 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 13 | 9.20% | 12.21% | −3.01 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 10 | 7.00% | 5.52% | +1.48 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 9 | 6.30% | 1.76% | +4.54 |
| Non-component advisories | 8 | 5.60% | 4.18% | +1.42 |
| Steering | 6 | 4.20% | 2.57% | +1.63 |
| Visibility | 4 | 2.80% | 4.97% | −2.17 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 5.9% | £5–25 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 5.9% | £5–20 |
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 3.9% | £80–250 |
| Linkage ball joints ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 3.9% | £18–45 |
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Major | 3.9% | £80–180 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 2.0% | £18–45 |
| Catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 2.0% | £60–250 |
| Coil spring fractured or broken Suspension | Major | 2.0% | £25–65 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Major | 2.0% | £45–120 |
| Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | Major | 2.0% | £45–95 |
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 | 29.4% | £80–180 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 21.6% | £45–95 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Advisory | 17.6% | £45–120 |
| Registration plates inscription illegible Identification of the vehicle | Advisory | 17.6% | £20–80 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 15.7% | £45–110 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 15.7% | £200–700 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30-60k | 7 | 71.4% | 45,756 mi |
| 60-90k | 2 | 50.0% | 71,705 mi |
| 90-120k | 13 | 92.3% | 103,028 mi |
| 120k+ | 29 | 72.4% | 137,774 mi |
Source: 51 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.
2003 Zafira MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2003 Opel Zafira?
76.5% of the 51 2003 Opel Zafira tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.6% for cars first used in 2003. First-attempt pass rate: 68.4%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2003 Opel Zafira?
The three most recorded items are position lamp not working (5.88%), registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (5.88%), joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated (3.92%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2003 Opel Zafira MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 71.4% of the time, falling to 72.4% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2003 Opel Zafira in this dataset had covered 125,182 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2003 Opel Zafira?
Petrol: 73.2% pass rate across 41 tests. Diesel: 90.0% pass rate across 10 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.