Vauxhall Astra MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Vauxhall Astra MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Vauxhall Astra passed on its first attempt in 72.2%, and its overall record sits −3.2 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Vauxhall Astra in the 2023–2025 data: 2,353,816 tests across 23 model years (2000–2022). 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 Astra MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Vauxhall Astra, the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 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 Astra's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Vauxhall Astra DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Vauxhall Astra, each with how many of the model's 2,353,816 tests it was noted on.

• "Coil spring fractured or broken" (Major) — noted on about 108,290 Vauxhall Astra tests, 4.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 81,054 Vauxhall Astra tests, 3.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 52,518 Vauxhall Astra tests, 2.2% of the model's MOT record.
• "Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases" (Major) — noted on about 37,502 Vauxhall Astra tests, 1.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction" (Major) — noted on about 32,585 Vauxhall Astra tests, 1.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Position lamp not working" (Major) — noted on about 27,153 Vauxhall Astra tests, 1.2% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Vauxhall Astra Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Vauxhall Astra model year on record is 2021 (91.2% across 6,431 tests), and the weakest is 2006 (69.8%). The gap between them is 21.4 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Vauxhall Astra reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 0.9 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 Astra Owners

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

• 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.

• 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 Vauxhall Astra. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Where the Vauxhall Astra is most common

Across every Astra model year on record (2000–2022): 944,741 Vauxhall Astra cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 2,353,763 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 30,838 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 Astra 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 Astra MOT & Reliability