Pass rate
72.1%
Below average — 0.5 pts behind the 72.6% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 86 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £51–£147
2003 Perodua Kenari MOT pass rate
- 2003
- typical 50,307 mi
Only 86 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
27.1% 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 2010 81.6% pass
- Avoid 2001 66.2% pass
Across the 10 years on record, a spread of 15.4 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 64.2%
- Typical mileage
- 50k mi
The 2003 Perodua Kenari MOT pass rate is 72.1% of its MOT tests — about what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 27.1% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Perodua Kenari does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Emissions & leaks: 2.8× the national share
Emissions & leaks make up 15.7% of everything recorded on the 2003 Perodua Kenari, against 5.5% nationally — 10.2 points above. Brakes are still the single largest share at 27.1%, but at 20.9% nationally that one is ordinary. A smoky diesel or a leaking joint fails on emissions more often than on wear, so ask for a recent emissions printout.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 13% 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.
- Based on a small sample. 86 tests back this page. That is enough to publish and to index, not enough to treat the decimal places as precise — read the pattern, not the second digit.
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 Perodua Kenari? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2003 Perodua Kenari compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.6%, so this figure is 0.5 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 64.2%. The median 2003 Perodua Kenari in this dataset had covered 50,307 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 71.1% of the time, April–September 73.2%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated", noted on 13.95% of tests.
- 86 recorded tests behind this page.
- 72.1% overall pass rate, 64.2% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Perodua Kenari, the average is 75.0% — best year 2010 (81.6%), worst 2001 (66.2%).
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
- 86
- Typical mileage (median)
- 50,307 mi
- Make and model
- Perodua Kenari
- 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 Kenari MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 53% so small gaps stay visible.
Regional pass rates for the Kenari
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 30 | 73.3% |
| South West | 20 | 75.0% |
| East of England | 16 | 68.8% |
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 Kenari
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 Kenari
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 13.9% 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 exhaust and emissions 9.3% of tests
“catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits”
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.
-
Check the windscreen 7.0% 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 2003 Kenari through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £51–£147 — and 13% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £51–£147
- Cheapest common item: malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or…
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: component mounting prescribed areas…
- £180–£450
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 40%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 13%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 86 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 Kenari, side by side
10 model years on record, from 2001 to 2010. Across them the pass rate runs from 66.2% to 81.6% — a spread of 15.4 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2001 66.2% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2002 75.0% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2003 72.1%ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2004 69.0% component mounting prescribed…
- 2005 78.1% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2006 75.2% malfunction indicator lamp…
- 2007 76.4% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2008 76.5% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2009 79.7% track rod end ball joint dust…
- 2010 81.6% ball joint dust cover severely…
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 Perodua Kenari 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
- Honda Accord 72.1%
- Mercedes-Benz A-Class 72.2%
- Smart Mcc City 72.2%
- Ford Fusion 71.9%
- Ford Ranger 71.9%
- Audi A3 72.3%
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 Perodua Kenari 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 228 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 | 62 | 27.10% | 20.89% | +6.21 |
| Suspension | 42 | 18.30% | 20.98% | −2.68 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 36 | 15.70% | 5.52% | +10.18 |
| Tyres | 27 | 11.80% | 19.76% | −7.96 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 26 | 11.40% | 5.57% | +5.83 |
| Visibility | 15 | 6.60% | 4.97% | +1.63 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 9 | 3.90% | 12.21% | −8.31 |
| Non-component advisories | 5 | 2.20% | 4.18% | −1.98 |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 4 | 1.70% | 0.82% | +0.88 |
| Steering | 2 | 0.90% | 2.57% | −1.67 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 13.9% | £18–45 |
| Catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 9.3% | £60–250 |
| Service brake imbalance across an axle Brakes | Major | 8.1% | £45–110 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 7.0% | £80–200 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Major | 4.7% | £45–120 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 4.7% | £3–12 |
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Major | 4.7% | £80–180 |
| Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Suspension | Major | 3.5% | £180–450 |
| Emissions not tested unable to be completed Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 3.5% | £60–250 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 3.5% | £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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Advisory | 23.3% | £80–180 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 16.3% | £45–95 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 13.9% | £45–110 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 10.5% | £200–700 |
| Coil spring corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 9.3% | £25–65 |
| Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Suspension | Advisory | 7.0% | £180–450 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 8 | 87.5% | 13,966 mi |
| 30-60k | 57 | 73.7% | 46,863 mi |
| 60-90k | 21 | 61.9% | 68,809 mi |
Source: 86 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 Kenari MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2003 Perodua Kenari?
72.1% of the 86 2003 Perodua Kenari tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.6% for cars first used in 2003. First-attempt pass rate: 64.2%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2003 Perodua Kenari?
The three most recorded items are ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated (13.95%), catalyst emissions lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits (9.30%), service brake imbalance across an axle (8.14%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2003 Perodua Kenari MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 87.5% of the time, falling to 61.9% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2003 Perodua Kenari in this dataset had covered 50,307 mi.
Does the season affect the 2003 Perodua Kenari MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 71.1% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 73.2%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.