Pass rate
68.6%
Below average — 8.6 pts behind the 77.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 140 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £36–£98
2012 Proton Savvy MOT pass rate
- 2012
- 2 trims combined
- typical 51,116 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Suspension
23.5% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Which year to buy
- Best 2010 71.1% pass
- Avoid 2006 63.6% pass
Across the 7 years on record, a spread of 7.5 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 59.8%
- Typical mileage
- 51k mi
The 2012 Proton Savvy MOT pass rate is 68.6% of its MOT tests — 8.6 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 23.5% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Fewer problems with tyres
Tyres are 14.2% of this car’s recorded faults, against 19.8% nationally — the mirror image of the usual story on a car of this age.
- Falls short of its own age and mileage. Like-for-like, cars this age and mileage expect about 77.2%; this one manages 68.6% — 8.6 points below. Age is a fair excuse; this is not age.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 19% 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 Savvy? Get an email when these numbers change .
Every Proton Savvy first registered in 2012 is combined here — 2 trim and body variants in total — so the sample is as large as the DVSA data allows.
How does the 2012 Proton Savvy compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 77.2%, so this figure is 8.6 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 59.8%. The median 2012 Proton Savvy in this dataset had covered 51,116 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 65.2% of the time, April–September 71.6%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Headlamp aim too low", noted on 10.00% of tests.
- 140 recorded tests behind this page.
- 68.6% overall pass rate, 59.8% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Proton Savvy, the average is 68.0% — best year 2010 (71.1%), worst 2006 (63.6%).
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
- 140
- Typical mileage (median)
- 51,116 mi
- Make and model
- Proton Savvy
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Headlight Alignment
Typically a garage job — get quotes before committing.
Does mileage affect the Savvy MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 53% so small gaps stay visible.
Where the Proton Savvy is most common
Across all Savvy model years on record (2006–2012): 955 Proton Savvy cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 2,332 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 40 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.
| # | Postcode area | Cars | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birmingham (B) | 40 | 69.1% |
| 2 | Norwich (NR) | 29 | 69.8% |
| 3 | Peterborough (PE) | 24 | 71.4% |
| 4 | Brighton (BN) | 23 | 69.6% |
| 5 | Preston (PR) | 22 | 64.2% |
| 6 | Gloucester (GL) | 21 | 54.7% |
| 7 | Sheffield (S) | 20 | 76.7% |
| 8 | Taunton (TA) | 19 | 70.7% |
| 9 | Leicester (LE) | 19 | 69.8% |
| 10 | Manchester (M) | 18 | 83.9% |
| 11 | Plymouth (PL) | 17 | 56.6% |
| 12 | Doncaster (DN) | 17 | 64.1% |
| 13 | Nottingham (NG) | 17 | 66.7% |
| 14 | Derby (DE) | 16 | 71.1% |
| 15 | Exeter (EX) | 15 | 58.0% |
| 16 | Bristol (BS) | 15 | 61.7% |
| 17 | Colchester (CO) | 15 | 66.7% |
| 18 | Newport (NP) | 15 | 69.0% |
| 19 | Chester (CH) | 14 | 65.8% |
| 20 | Bradford (BD) | 14 | 70.3% |
The twenty areas with the most Proton Savvy 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 →
Regional pass rates for the Savvy
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 38 | 68.4% |
| South West | 22 | 72.7% |
| Yorkshire | 18 | 72.2% |
| North West | 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 Savvy
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 Savvy
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 10.0% of tests
“headlamp aim too low”
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 wipers and washers 5.0% of tests
“wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively”
Run the wipers with the screen wet: they should clear it in one sweep without smearing or juddering. Top the washer bottle up and check both jets hit the screen.
-
Check the exhaust and emissions 4.3% of tests
“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.
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 Savvy through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £36–£98 — and 19% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £36–£98
- Cheapest common item: wipers does not clear the windscreen…
- £8–£22
- Dearest common item: catalyst emissions lambda reading after 2nd…
- £60–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 60%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 19%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 140 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 Savvy, side by side
7 model years on record, from 2006 to 2012. Across them the pass rate runs from 63.6% to 71.1% — a spread of 7.5 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2006 63.6% headlamp aim too low
- 2007 67.0% headlamp aim too low
- 2008 68.4% headlamp aim too low
- 2009 69.3% service brake performance…
- 2010 71.1% headlamp aim too low
- 2011 68.9% service brake performance…
- 2012 68.6%headlamp aim too low
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 Savvy 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 Savvy 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 521 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 | 124 | 23.50% | 20.98% | +2.52 |
| Brakes | 121 | 22.90% | 20.89% | +2.01 |
| Tyres | 75 | 14.20% | 19.76% | −5.56 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 58 | 11.00% | 12.21% | −1.21 |
| Steering | 38 | 7.20% | 2.57% | +4.63 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 30 | 5.70% | 5.52% | +0.18 |
| Visibility | 25 | 4.70% | 4.97% | −0.27 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 22 | 4.20% | 5.57% | −1.37 |
| Non-component advisories | 19 | 3.60% | 4.18% | −0.58 |
| Road Wheels | 9 | 1.70% | 0.75% | +0.95 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headlamp aim too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 10.0% | £30–80 |
| Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes | Major | 5.0% | £45–110 |
| Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | Major | 5.0% | £8–22 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Major | 4.3% | £45–120 |
| Linkage ball joints ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 4.3% | £18–45 |
| Catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 3.6% | £60–250 |
| Service brake imbalance across an axle Brakes | Major | 3.6% | £45–110 |
| Service brake performance excessively binding Brakes | Major | 3.6% | £60–150 |
| Wipers blade defective Visibility | Minor | 3.6% | £8–22 |
| Battery(ies) insecure but not likely to fall from carrier Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 2.9% | £60–140 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coil spring corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 26.4% | £25–65 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 23.6% | £45–95 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 17.1% | £45–110 |
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Advisory | 15.0% | £80–180 |
| Wheel bearings has excessive play Suspension | Advisory | 14.3% | £20–55 |
| Service brake performance excessively binding Brakes | Advisory | 11.4% | £60–150 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 22 | 86.4% | 23,092 mi |
| 30-60k | 72 | 66.7% | 47,355 mi |
| 60-90k | 42 | 61.9% | 68,444 mi |
| 90-120k | 4 | 75.0% | 96,528 mi |
Source: 140 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 Savvy MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2012 Proton Savvy?
68.6% of the 140 2012 Proton Savvy tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 77.2% for cars first used in 2012. First-attempt pass rate: 59.8%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2012 Proton Savvy?
The three most recorded items are headlamp aim too low (10.00%), rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements (5.00%), wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (5.00%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2012 Proton Savvy MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 86.4% of the time, falling to 75.0% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2012 Proton Savvy in this dataset had covered 51,116 mi.
Does the season affect the 2012 Proton Savvy MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 65.2% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 71.6%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.