Vauxhall Adam MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Vauxhall Adam MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Vauxhall Adam passed on its first attempt in 74.5%, and its overall record sits −1.6 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Vauxhall Adam in the 2023–2025 data: 216,628 tests across 8 model years (2012–2019). 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 Vauxhall Adam MOT Problems by Failure Category

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

Top Recorded Vauxhall Adam DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Vauxhall Adam, each with how many of the model's 216,628 tests it was noted on.

• "Track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt" (Minor) — noted on about 17,228 Vauxhall Adam tests, 8.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak" (Major) — noted on about 9,258 Vauxhall Adam tests, 4.3% of the model's MOT record.
• "Track rod end ball joint dust cover excessively damaged or deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of…" (Major) — noted on about 8,056 Vauxhall Adam tests, 3.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Coil spring fractured or broken" (Major) — noted on about 8,050 Vauxhall Adam tests, 3.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 3,804 Vauxhall Adam tests, 1.8% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 3,369 Vauxhall Adam tests, 1.6% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Vauxhall Adam Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Vauxhall Adam model year on record is 2019 (87.4% across 16,011 tests), and the weakest is 2013 (76.6%). The gap between them is 10.8 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Vauxhall Adam reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 2.1 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 Vauxhall Adam Owners

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

• the suspension joints — “track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or 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 shock absorbers — “shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak”

  Press down hard on each corner of the car and let go. It should settle in one bounce; if it keeps rocking, or you can see oil weeping down a shock absorber, that is the fault a tester will find.

• 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.

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

Where the Vauxhall Adam is most common

Across every Adam model year on record (2012–2019): 85,686 Vauxhall Adam cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 216,620 tests. Cardiff (CF) has the most, with 2,600 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 Vauxhall Adam 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: Vauxhall Adam MOT & Reliability