Pass rate
66.0%
Below average — 11.2 pts behind the 77.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 100 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £40–£104
2012 Proton Gen-2 MOT pass rate
- 2012
- typical 65,830 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Brakes
26.6% of faults · 20.9% nationally
mostly worn pads and discs, corroded pipes and a handbrake that will not hold.
Which year to buy
- Best 2010 71.9% pass
- Avoid 2012 66.0% pass · this year
Across the 8 years on record, a spread of 5.9 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 52.8%
- Typical mileage
- 66k mi
The 2012 Proton Gen-2 MOT pass rate is 66.0% of its MOT tests — 11.2 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 26.6% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Brakes: 1.3× the national share
Brakes make up 26.6% of everything recorded on the 2012 Proton Gen-2, against 20.9% nationally — 5.7 points above. Have the discs and pads measured rather than glanced at, and ask whether the handbrake holds on a slope.
- Falls short of its own age and mileage. Like-for-like, cars this age and mileage expect about 77.2%; this one manages 66.0% — 11.2 points below. Age is a fair excuse; this is not age.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 24% 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 Proton Gen-2? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2012 Proton Gen-2 compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 77.2%, so this figure is 11.2 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 52.8%. The median 2012 Proton Gen-2 in this dataset had covered 65,830 mi.
The most common fuel recorded here is Petrol — 87% of tests, with a 65.5% pass rate. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 65.6% of the time, April–September 66.7%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements", noted on 10.00% of tests.
- 100 recorded tests behind this page.
- 66.0% overall pass rate, 52.8% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Proton Gen-2, the average is 68.6% — best year 2010 (71.9%), worst 2012 (66.0%).
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
- 100
- Typical mileage (median)
- 65,830 mi
- Make and model
- Proton Gen-2
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Brake Discs and Pads Set
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Gen-2 MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 47% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Petrol is the most common here (87% of tests).
Regional pass rates for the Gen-2
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| East of England | 22 | 68.2% |
| West Midlands | 20 | 65.0% |
| South East | 15 | 53.3% |
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 Gen-2
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 Gen-2
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 battery 7.0% of tests
“battery(ies) insecure”
Check the battery is secure and its terminals are clean and tight — a loose battery is a fail on its own, and a weak one shows up as slow cranking on a cold morning.
-
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.
-
Check the suspension joints 5.0% of tests
“linkage ball joint dust cover 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.
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 Gen-2 through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £40–£104 — and 24% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £40–£104
- Cheapest common item: srs malfunction indicator lamp warning lamp…
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: joints constant velocity boot severely…
- £80–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 70%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 24%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 100 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 Gen-2, side by side
8 model years on record, from 2005 to 2012. Across them the pass rate runs from 66.0% to 71.9% — a spread of 5.9 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2005 67.8% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2006 66.2% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2007 67.6% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2008 67.0% battery(ies) insecure but not…
- 2009 71.0% rbt (sp) efficiency below…
- 2010 71.9% rbt (sp) efficiency below…
- 2011 70.4% rbt (sp) efficiency below…
- 2012 66.0%rbt (sp) efficiency below…
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 Proton Gen-2 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 Clio 68.7%
- Renault Grand Scenic 69.9%
- Vauxhall Combo 70.0%
- Nissan Qashqai 70.1%
- Renault Megane 70.2%
- Citroen DS3 70.4%
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 Proton Gen-2 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 339 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 | 91 | 26.60% | 20.89% | +5.71 |
| Suspension | 61 | 17.80% | 20.98% | −3.18 |
| Tyres | 47 | 13.70% | 19.76% | −6.06 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 44 | 12.90% | 12.21% | +0.69 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 35 | 10.20% | 5.57% | +4.63 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 27 | 7.90% | 5.52% | +2.38 |
| Visibility | 18 | 5.30% | 4.97% | +0.33 |
| Non-component advisories | 8 | 2.30% | 4.18% | −1.88 |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 5 | 1.50% | 0.82% | +0.68 |
| Steering | 3 | 0.90% | 2.57% | −1.67 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes | Major | 10.0% | £45–110 |
| Battery(ies) insecure but not likely to fall from carrier Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 7.0% | £60–140 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 7.0% | £80–200 |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 5.0% | £18–45 |
| Srs malfunction indicator lamp warning lamp indicates a fault Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | Major | 5.0% | £3–12 |
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 4.0% | £18–45 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Major | 4.0% | £45–120 |
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 4.0% | £5–25 |
| Horn not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 4.0% | £8–25 |
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 4.0% | £80–250 |
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 | 24.0% | £45–95 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 20.0% | £200–700 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Advisory | 18.0% | £45–120 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 15.0% | £45–110 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 12.0% | £18–45 |
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Advisory | 11.0% | £80–180 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30-60k | 43 | 67.4% | 46,822 mi |
| 60-90k | 34 | 67.6% | 75,454 mi |
| 90-120k | 14 | 64.3% | 102,968 mi |
| 120k+ | 9 | 55.6% | 135,859 mi |
Source: 100 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 Gen-2 MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2012 Proton Gen-2?
66.0% of the 100 2012 Proton Gen-2 tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 77.2% for cars first used in 2012. First-attempt pass rate: 52.8%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2012 Proton Gen-2?
The three most recorded items are rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements (10.00%), battery(ies) insecure but not likely to fall from carrier (7.00%), windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (7.00%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2012 Proton Gen-2 MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 67.4% of the time, falling to 55.6% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2012 Proton Gen-2 in this dataset had covered 65,830 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2012 Proton Gen-2?
Petrol: 65.5% pass rate across 87 tests. LPG: 69.2% pass rate across 13 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2012 Proton Gen-2 MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 65.6% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 66.7%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.