Skoda Octavia MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Skoda Octavia MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Skoda Octavia passed on its first attempt in 80.2%, and its overall record sits +2.2 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Skoda Octavia in the 2023–2025 data: 717,425 tests across 26 model years (2000–2025). 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 Skoda Octavia MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Skoda Octavia, the Suspension 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 Skoda Octavia's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Skoda Octavia DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Skoda Octavia, each with how many of the model's 717,425 tests it was noted on.

• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 21,832 Skoda Octavia tests, 3.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Coil spring fractured or broken" (Major) — noted on about 16,491 Skoda Octavia tests, 2.3% of the model's MOT record.
• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 13,528 Skoda Octavia tests, 1.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated" (Minor) — noted on about 12,871 Skoda Octavia tests, 1.8% of the model's MOT record.
• "Linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" (Major) — noted on about 6,555 Skoda Octavia tests, 0.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated" (Minor) — noted on about 6,012 Skoda Octavia tests, 0.8% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Skoda Octavia Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Skoda Octavia model year on record is 2025 (100.0% across 66 tests), and the weakest is 2000 (69.7%). The gap between them is 30.3 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Skoda Octavia reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 1.8 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.

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

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Skoda Octavia Owners

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

• 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.

• the coil springs — “coil spring fractured or broken”

  Look up inside each wheel arch with a torch, all the way round the spring. A snapped spring usually breaks at the very bottom coil, where a quick glance will not reach.

• the lights — “registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources”

  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.

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

Where the Skoda Octavia is most common

Across every Octavia model year on record (2000–2025): 299,708 Skoda Octavia cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 717,402 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 9,217 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.

The twenty areas with the most Skoda Octavia 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 →

Frequently Asked Questions: Skoda Octavia MOT & Reliability