Rover 45 MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Rover 45 MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Rover 45 passed on its first attempt in 63.8%, and its overall record sits −9.3 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Rover 45 in the 2023–2025 data: 7,671 tests across 7 model years (2000–2006). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.

Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.

Most Common Rover 45 MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Rover 45, the Body, chassis, structure section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.

Shares are over the Rover 45's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Rover 45 DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Rover 45, each with how many of the model's 7,671 tests it was noted on.

• "Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength" (Major) — noted on about 555 Rover 45 tests, 7.2% of the model's MOT record.
• "Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated" (Minor) — noted on about 530 Rover 45 tests, 6.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" (Major) — noted on about 441 Rover 45 tests, 5.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated" (Minor) — noted on about 361 Rover 45 tests, 4.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Service brake performance excessively binding" (Major) — noted on about 217 Rover 45 tests, 2.8% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 212 Rover 45 tests, 2.8% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Rover 45 Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Rover 45 model year on record is 2006 (73.6% across 72 tests), and the weakest is 2000 (69.0%). The gap between them is 4.6 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Rover 45 Owners

These checks follow this Rover 45's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Rover 45.

• corrosion — “component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength”

  Look under the sills, around the jacking points and where the suspension mounts meet the body. Flaking, holed or crumbly metal fails; a brown stain on sound metal does not.

• the suspension joints — “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.

• the windscreen — “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.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Rover 45. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Frequently Asked Questions: Rover 45 MOT & Reliability