Pass rate
93.5%
Above average — 20.9 pts ahead of the 72.6% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 352 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £37–£111
2003 TVR Tuscan MOT pass rate
- 2003
- typical 40,505 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Brakes
23.3% of faults · 20.9% nationally
mostly worn pads and discs, corroded pipes and a handbrake that will not hold.
Which year to buy
- Best 2005 94.9% pass
- Avoid 2000 92.2% pass
Across the 7 years on record, a spread of 2.7 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 93.2%
- Typical mileage
- 41k mi
The 2003 TVR Tuscan MOT pass rate is 93.5% of its MOT tests — 20.9 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 23.3% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Emissions & leaks: 2.2× the national share
Emissions & leaks make up 12.3% of everything recorded on the 2003 TVR Tuscan, against 5.5% nationally — 6.8 points above. Brakes are still the single largest share at 23.3%, 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.
- Beats its own age and mileage. Once you allow for how old and how far these cars have been driven, the expected pass rate is 72.6% and this one manages 93.5% — 20.9 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 20% 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 TVR Tuscan? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2003 TVR Tuscan compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.6%, so this figure is 20.9 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 93.2%. The median 2003 TVR Tuscan in this dataset had covered 40,505 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 92.1% of the time, April–September 94.4%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Coil spring fractured or broken", noted on 1.14% of tests.
- 352 recorded tests behind this page.
- 93.5% overall pass rate, 93.2% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the TVR Tuscan, the average is 93.2% — best year 2005 (94.9%), worst 2000 (92.2%).
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
- 352
- Typical mileage (median)
- 40,505 mi
- Make and model
- TVR Tuscan
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Coil Spring
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Tuscan MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 82% so small gaps stay visible.
Where the TVR Tuscan is most common
Across all Tuscan model years on record (2000–2006): 1,230 TVR Tuscan cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 2,424 tests. High Wycombe (HP) has the most, with 142 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 | High Wycombe (HP) | 142 | 99.7% |
| 2 | Guildford (GU) | 67 | 95.6% |
| 3 | Coventry (CV) | 63 | 96.5% |
| 4 | Peterborough (PE) | 40 | 79.3% |
| 5 | Leeds (LS) | 39 | 91.5% |
| 6 | Gloucester (GL) | 36 | 93.4% |
| 7 | Maidstone (ME) | 33 | 97.1% |
| 8 | Chelmsford (CM) | 33 | 98.3% |
| 9 | Newcastle upon Tyne (NE) | 32 | 94.7% |
| 10 | Stoke On Trent (ST) | 31 | 94.1% |
| 11 | Preston (PR) | 29 | 89.1% |
| 12 | Leicester (LE) | 27 | 95.9% |
| 13 | Blackburn (BB) | 25 | 97.7% |
| 14 | Taunton (TA) | 24 | 93.9% |
| 15 | Crawley (RH) | 24 | 78.6% |
| 16 | Sheffield (S) | 23 | 88.7% |
| 17 | Ashford (TN) | 22 | 91.5% |
| 18 | Colchester (CO) | 21 | 95.0% |
| 19 | Stourbridge (DY) | 21 | 94.6% |
| 20 | Birmingham (B) | 20 | 100.0% |
The twenty areas with the most TVR Tuscan 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 Tuscan
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| East of England | 105 | 95.2% |
| South East | 65 | 92.3% |
| South West | 39 | 94.9% |
| Yorkshire | 33 | 93.9% |
| North West | 29 | 93.1% |
| East Midlands | 25 | 96.0% |
| West Midlands | 25 | 96.0% |
| North East | 16 | 87.5% |
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 Tuscan
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 Tuscan
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 coil springs 1.1% of tests
“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.
-
Check the wipers and washers 0.8% of tests
“washers provides insufficient washer liquid”
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 0.6% of tests
“emissions not tested unable to be completed”
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 2003 Tuscan through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £37–£111 — and 20% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £37–£111
- Cheapest common item: washers provides insufficient washer liquid
- £5–£15
- Dearest common item: emissions not tested unable to be completed
- £60–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 40%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 20%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 352 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 Tuscan, side by side
7 model years on record, from 2000 to 2006. Across them the pass rate runs from 92.2% to 94.9% — a spread of 2.7 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 92.2% catalyst emissions lambda reading…
- 2001 92.9% catalyst emissions carbon…
- 2002 93.8% catalyst emissions lambda reading…
- 2003 93.5%coil spring fractured or broken
- 2004 93.1% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2005 94.9% catalyst emissions carbon…
- 2006 92.2% rear fog lamp not working
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 TVR Tuscan 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
- BMW M3 87.7%
- Porsche 911 85.5%
- Mercedes-Benz Sl 85.2%
- Honda S2000 83.5%
- Mercedes-Benz S-Class 81.7%
- Porsche Boxster 80.4%
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 TVR Tuscan 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 146 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 | 34 | 23.30% | 20.89% | +2.41 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 26 | 17.80% | 12.21% | +5.59 |
| Suspension | 23 | 15.80% | 20.98% | −5.18 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 18 | 12.30% | 5.52% | +6.78 |
| Tyres | 15 | 10.30% | 19.76% | −9.46 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 13 | 8.90% | 5.57% | +3.33 |
| Steering | 7 | 4.80% | 2.57% | +2.23 |
| Visibility | 5 | 3.40% | 4.97% | −1.57 |
| Non-component advisories | 4 | 2.70% | 4.18% | −1.48 |
| Road Wheels | 1 | 0.70% | 0.75% | −0.05 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coil spring fractured or broken Suspension | Major | 1.1% | £25–65 |
| Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes | Major | 1.1% | £45–110 |
| Washers provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | Major | 0.85% | £5–15 |
| Emissions not tested unable to be completed Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 0.57% | £60–250 |
| Headlamp aim too high Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 0.57% | £30–80 |
| Headlamp aim too high Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Rectified | 0.57% | £30–80 |
| Headlamp aim too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 0.57% | £30–80 |
| Headlamp not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 0.57% | £5–25 |
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 0.57% | £80–250 |
| Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | Major | 0.57% | £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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 3.4% | £45–110 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 2.8% | £200–700 |
| Coil spring corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 2.3% | £25–65 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 2.0% | £45–95 |
| Flexible brake hoses ferrule excessively corroded Brakes | Advisory | 1.1% | £25–70 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 1.1% | £45–95 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 81 | 95.1% | 20,983 mi |
| 30-60k | 213 | 93.9% | 42,883 mi |
| 60-90k | 44 | 90.9% | 73,868 mi |
| 90-120k | 6 | 100.0% | 95,694 mi |
| 120k+ | 1 | 100.0% | 151,656 mi |
Source: 352 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 Tuscan MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2003 TVR Tuscan?
93.5% of the 352 2003 TVR Tuscan tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.6% for cars first used in 2003. First-attempt pass rate: 93.2%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2003 TVR Tuscan?
The three most recorded items are coil spring fractured or broken (1.14%), rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements (1.14%), washers provides insufficient washer liquid (0.85%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2003 TVR Tuscan MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 95.1% of the time, falling to 100.0% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2003 TVR Tuscan in this dataset had covered 40,505 mi.
Does the season affect the 2003 TVR Tuscan MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 92.1% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 94.4%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.