Pass rate
72.6%
Below average — 0.5 pts behind the 73.1% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 171,108 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £17–£56
2008 Vauxhall Corsa MOT pass rate
- 2008
- 2 trims combined
- typical 88,758 mi
Most common fault
Suspension
26.4% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Part only £40–£65 for Shock absorber leaking. What fitting it takes →
2.0 pts down across model years — 3.0% in 2000, 1.0% in 2019.
Which year to buy
- Best 2023 95.6% pass
- Avoid 2003 68.4% pass
Across the 24 years on record, a spread of 27.2 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 63.9%
- Typical mileage
- 89k mi
The 2008 Vauxhall Corsa MOT pass rate is 72.6% of its MOT tests — about what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 26.4% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Vauxhall Corsa does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Emissions & leaks: 2.2× the national share
Emissions & leaks make up 12.1% of everything recorded on the 2008 Vauxhall Corsa, against 5.5% nationally — 6.6 points above. Suspension is still the single largest share at 26.4%, but at 21.0% 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.
- Failures here tend to be cheap ones. 60% of the repairs this model fails on cost under £30 in parts. The pass rate matters less than what a bad afternoon at the test centre actually costs you.
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 Corsa? Get an email when these numbers change .
Every Vauxhall Corsa first registered in 2008 is combined here — 2 trim and body variants in total — so the sample is as large as the DVSA data allows.
How does the 2008 Vauxhall Corsa compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 73.1%, so this figure is 0.5 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 63.9%. The median 2008 Vauxhall Corsa in this dataset had covered 88,758 mi.
85% of the tests on this vehicle ran on Petrol, which passed 72.8% of the time. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 72.6% of the time, April–September 72.6%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources", noted on 6.81% of tests.
- 171,108 recorded tests behind this page.
- 72.6% overall pass rate, 63.9% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Vauxhall Corsa, the average is 77.3% — best year 2023 (95.6%), worst 2003 (68.4%).
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
- 171,108
- Typical mileage (median)
- 88,758 mi
- Make and model
- Vauxhall Corsa
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Number Plate Lamp
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Corsa MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 62% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Petrol is the most common here (85% of tests).
Regional pass rates for the Corsa
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 35,038 | 75.6% |
| North West | 19,072 | 71.3% |
| East of England | 18,732 | 74.3% |
| South West | 18,065 | 69.3% |
| West Midlands | 17,520 | 74.5% |
| Yorkshire | 17,293 | 70.5% |
| East Midlands | 13,916 | 72.4% |
| Scotland | 8,992 | 65.1% |
| Wales | 8,020 | 68.8% |
| London | 7,794 | 80.7% |
| North East | 6,656 | 69.7% |
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 2008 Corsa
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 2008 Corsa
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 lights 6.8% of tests
“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.
-
Check the coil springs 6.5% 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 shock absorbers 2.9% of tests
“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.
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 2008 Corsa through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £17–£56 — and 60% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £17–£56
- Cheapest common item: stop lamp not working
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: joints constant velocity boot severely…
- £80–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 80%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 60%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 171,108 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 Corsa, side by side
24 model years on record, from 2000 to 2023. Across them the pass rate runs from 68.4% to 95.6% — a spread of 27.2 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 71.9% component mounting prescribed…
- 2001 69.1% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2002 68.8% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2003 68.4% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2004 68.6% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2005 68.7% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2006 69.1% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2007 71.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2008 72.6%registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2009 73.2% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2010 73.7% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2011 74.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2012 74.9% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2013 75.5% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2014 74.8% track rod end ball joint dust…
- 2015 77.7% track rod end ball joint dust…
- 2016 80.0% track rod end ball joint dust…
- 2017 81.8% track rod end ball joint dust…
- 2018 84.5% track rod end ball joint dust…
- 2019 87.2% wipers does not clear the…
- 2020 89.9% wipers does not clear the…
- 2021 90.1% wipers does not clear the…
- 2022 91.5% wipers does not clear the…
- 2023 95.6% headlamp aim too low
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 2008 Vauxhall Corsa 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 2008 cars with a similar record
- Ford Mondeo 72.5%
- Volkswagen Touran 72.5%
- Hyundai I10 72.5%
- Honda Civic 72.7%
- Skoda Octavia 72.8%
- Volvo S40 72.8%
Closest pass rates among 2008 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 2008 Vauxhall Corsa 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 461,352 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 123,187 | 26.40% | 20.98% | +5.42 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 79,235 | 17.00% | 12.21% | +4.79 |
| Tyres | 70,082 | 15.00% | 19.76% | −4.76 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 56,299 | 12.10% | 5.52% | +6.58 |
| Brakes | 53,683 | 11.50% | 20.89% | −9.39 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 31,668 | 6.80% | 5.57% | +1.23 |
| Visibility | 18,210 | 3.90% | 4.97% | −1.07 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 12,485 | 2.70% | 1.76% | +0.94 |
| Non-component advisories | 10,632 | 2.30% | 4.18% | −1.88 |
| Steering | 5,871 | 1.30% | 2.57% | −1.27 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 6.8% | £5–20 |
| Coil spring fractured or broken Suspension | Major | 6.5% | £25–65 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 3.5% | £5–25 |
| Stop lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 3.2% | £3–12 |
| Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak Suspension | Major | 2.9% | £30–75 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 2.5% | £3–12 |
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 2.4% | £5–25 |
| Headlamp not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 2.3% | £5–25 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Major | 2.2% | £40–150 |
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 2.1% | £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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 23.4% | £200–700 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 17.2% | £45–95 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 15.1% | £45–95 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 10.6% | £40–150 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 9.8% | £45–110 |
| Sub-frame corroded and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 8.4% | £180–450 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 3,134 | 82.7% | 23,072 mi |
| 30-60k | 25,131 | 77.0% | 48,404 mi |
| 60-90k | 60,140 | 72.9% | 76,137 mi |
| 90-120k | 55,960 | 70.9% | 103,463 mi |
| 120k+ | 26,586 | 70.0% | 139,810 mi |
Source: 171,108 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.
2008 Corsa MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2008 Vauxhall Corsa?
72.6% of the 171,108 2008 Vauxhall Corsa tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 73.1% for cars first used in 2008. First-attempt pass rate: 63.9%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2008 Vauxhall Corsa?
The three most recorded items are registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (6.81%), coil spring fractured or broken (6.50%), position lamp not working (3.47%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2008 Vauxhall Corsa MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 82.7% of the time, falling to 70.0% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2008 Vauxhall Corsa in this dataset had covered 88,758 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2008 Vauxhall Corsa?
Petrol: 72.8% pass rate across 145,099 tests. Diesel: 71.4% pass rate across 26,007 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2008 Vauxhall Corsa MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 72.6% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 72.6%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.