Pass rate
72.5%
Below average — 0.4 pts behind the 72.9% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 80 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £56–£148
2002 Vauxhall Brava MOT pass rate
- 2002
- typical 96,702 mi
Only 80 tests of this exact model and year are in the DVSA data, below the 100 we ask for before a page goes in the index. The figures are still shown, because they are the only ones there are.
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Brakes
22.5% of faults · 20.9% nationally
mostly worn pads and discs, corroded pipes and a handbrake that will not hold.
Part only £25–£55 for Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded. What fitting it takes →
Which year to buy
- Best 2000 75.0% pass
- Avoid 2002 72.5% pass · this year
Across the 3 years on record, a spread of 2.5 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 65.6%
- Typical mileage
- 97k mi
The 2002 Vauxhall Brava MOT pass rate is 72.5% of its MOT tests — about what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 22.5% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Body & chassis: 2.7× the national share
Body & chassis accounts for 14.8% of everything recorded on the 2002 Vauxhall Brava, against 5.6% nationally — 9.2 points above. Brakes are still the single largest share at 22.5%, but at 20.9% nationally that one is ordinary. Look underneath for corrosion near the jacking points and suspension mounts; surface rust is normal, flaking metal is not.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 23% 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.
- Based on a small sample. 80 tests back this page. That is enough to publish and to index, not enough to treat the decimal places as precise — read the pattern, not the second digit.
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 Vauxhall Brava? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2002 Vauxhall Brava compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.9%, so this figure is 0.4 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 65.6%. The median 2002 Vauxhall Brava in this dataset had covered 96,702 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 67.4% of the time, April–September 78.4%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Steering box leaking oil", noted on 8.75% of tests.
- 80 recorded tests behind this page.
- 72.5% overall pass rate, 65.6% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Vauxhall Brava, the average is 73.8% — best year 2000 (75.0%), worst 2002 (72.5%).
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
- 80
- Typical mileage (median)
- 96,702 mi
- Make and model
- Vauxhall Brava
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Steering Component
Typically a garage job — get quotes before committing.
Does mileage affect the Brava MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 48% so small gaps stay visible.
Regional pass rates for the Brava
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South West | 19 | 68.4% |
| East of England | 19 | 68.4% |
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 2002 Brava
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 2002 Brava
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 leaks 8.8% of tests
“steering box leaking oil”
Park on clean cardboard overnight. A few drips are an advisory; a steady patch under the engine, gearbox or a shock absorber is a fail. Have the source identified before the test rather than after.
-
Check the suspension joints 6.3% of tests
“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.
-
Check the brake pipes 6.3% of tests
“rigid brake pipes excessively corroded”
Brake pipes run under the car, usually in front of the rear wheels. Flaking or crusty metal is what fails; a light dusting of surface rust does not. Worth asking a garage to look while it is on a ramp.
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 2002 Brava through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £56–£148 — and 23% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £56–£148
- Cheapest common item: rear fog lamp not working
- £3–£15
- Dearest common item: chassis condition or chassis has excessive…
- £180–£450
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 40%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 23%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 80 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 Brava, side by side
3 model years on record, from 2000 to 2002. Across them the pass rate runs from 72.5% to 75.0% — a spread of 2.5 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 75.0% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2001 73.3% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2002 72.5%steering box leaking oil
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 2002 Vauxhall Brava 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 2002 cars with a similar record
- Nissan Almera 72.5%
- Volkswagen Golf 72.6%
- Audi A3 72.6%
- Honda Civic 72.2%
- Mitsubishi Shogun 72.2%
- Renault Megane Scenic 72.8%
Closest pass rates among 2002 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 2002 Vauxhall Brava 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 208 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 | 47 | 22.50% | 20.89% | +1.61 |
| Suspension | 45 | 21.50% | 20.98% | +0.52 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 31 | 14.80% | 5.57% | +9.23 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 30 | 14.40% | 12.21% | +2.19 |
| Steering | 17 | 8.10% | 2.57% | +5.53 |
| Visibility | 12 | 5.70% | 4.97% | +0.73 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 9 | 4.30% | 5.52% | −1.22 |
| Tyres | 8 | 3.80% | 19.76% | −15.96 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 8 | 3.80% | 1.76% | +2.04 |
| Non-component advisories | 1 | 0.50% | 4.18% | −3.68 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steering box leaking oil Steering | Minor | 8.8% | £60–200 |
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 6.3% | £18–45 |
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Major | 6.3% | £80–180 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 5.0% | £80–200 |
| Chassis condition or chassis has excessive corrosion, seriously affecting its strength within 30cm of a body mounting Body, chassis, structure | Major | 3.8% | £180–450 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 3.8% | £5–25 |
| Rear fog lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 3.8% | £3–15 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 3.8% | £5–20 |
| Service brake performance efficiency below requirements Brakes | Major | 3.8% | £60–150 |
| Service brake performance excessively binding Brakes | Major | 3.8% | £60–150 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Advisory | 17.5% | £80–180 |
| Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak Suspension | Advisory | 13.8% | £30–75 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 8.8% | £200–700 |
| Registration plates inscription illegible Identification of the vehicle | Advisory | 8.8% | £20–80 |
| Service brake performance excessively binding Brakes | Advisory | 7.5% | £60–150 |
| Chassis condition or chassis has excessive corrosion, seriously affecting its strength within 30cm of a body mounting Body, chassis, structure | Advisory | 6.3% | £180–450 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 3 | 66.7% | 9,265 mi |
| 30-60k | 10 | 80.0% | 44,796 mi |
| 60-90k | 20 | 85.0% | 80,947 mi |
| 90-120k | 17 | 82.4% | 98,175 mi |
| 120k+ | 30 | 56.7% | 170,546 mi |
Source: 80 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.
2002 Brava MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2002 Vauxhall Brava?
72.5% of the 80 2002 Vauxhall Brava tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.9% for cars first used in 2002. First-attempt pass rate: 65.6%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2002 Vauxhall Brava?
The three most recorded items are steering box leaking oil (8.75%), ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated (6.25%), rigid brake pipes excessively corroded (6.25%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2002 Vauxhall Brava MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 66.7% of the time, falling to 56.7% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2002 Vauxhall Brava in this dataset had covered 96,702 mi.
Does the season affect the 2002 Vauxhall Brava MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 67.4% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 78.4%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.