2010 Vauxhall Corsa MOT pass rate

Pass rate

73.7%

Below average — 1.0 pts behind the 74.7% that cars this age and mileage manage.

Across 202,135 recorded tests.

Typical repair bill £15–£42

Most common fault

Suspension

25.9% 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.

Every failure, with what it costs →

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
65.6%
Typical mileage
83k mi

The 2010 Vauxhall Corsa MOT pass rate is 73.7% of its MOT tests — 1.0 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 25.9% of what testers record.

MOT PASS RATES

The 2010 Vauxhall Corsa on the real record

73.7% of 2010 Vauxhall Corsa MOTs passed — 202,135 tests, 2023–2025

Pass rate

The answer from the DVSA's class-4 MOT records.

Check your postcode

MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Vauxhall Corsa does in your corner of the country.

How one model's pass rate varies by postcode →

Expert verdict

Lamps & electrics: 1.5× the national share

Lamps & electrics make up 18.1% of everything recorded on the 2010 Vauxhall Corsa, against 12.2% nationally — 5.9 points above. Suspension is still the single largest share at 25.9%, but at 21.0% nationally that one is ordinary. Walk round the car with the lights on before the test: bulbs, indicators and number-plate lamps are the cheapest failures to prevent and among the most common.

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 2010 is combined here — 2 trim and body variants in total — so the sample is as large as the DVSA data allows.

How does the 2010 Vauxhall Corsa compare?

Cars of this age and mileage average 74.7%, so this figure is 1.0 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 65.6%. The median 2010 Vauxhall Corsa in this dataset had covered 82,990 mi.

The most common fuel recorded here is Petrol — 88% of tests, with a 73.9% pass rate. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 73.5% of the time, April–September 73.8%.

The single most recorded failure item is "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources", noted on 6.65% of tests.

  • 202,135 recorded tests behind this page.
  • 73.7% overall pass rate, 65.6% 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
202,135
Typical mileage (median)
82,990 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?

0-30k 83.0%
30-60k 78.0%
60-90k 73.7%
90-120k 71.4%
120k+ 70.2%

Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 62% so small gaps stay visible.

Fuel type and reliability

Petrol 73.9%
Diesel 72.3%

Pass rate by fuel type. Petrol is the most common here (88% of tests).

Regional pass rates for the Corsa

Region Tests Pass rate
South East 38,042 76.7%
North West 23,865 72.7%
East of England 20,888 76.3%
South West 20,193 71.3%
West Midlands 20,123 76.1%
Yorkshire 19,917 72.2%
Scotland 17,152 66.4%
East Midlands 15,674 73.5%
Wales 9,538 70.5%
North East 8,982 71.2%
London 7,759 81.4%

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 2010 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.

Suspension 25.9%
+4.9 pts vs national national 21.0% Price suspension parts
Lamps & electrics 18.1%
+5.9 pts vs national national 12.2% Order bulbs & wipers
Tyres 15.9%
−3.9 pts vs national national 19.8% Compare tyre prices
Brakes 13.0%
−7.9 pts vs national national 20.9% Price brakes parts
Show the other 6 fault categories
  • Emissions & leaks 10.1%
  • Body & chassis 6.2%
  • Visibility 3.9%
  • Advisories 2.9%
  • Identification 2.3%
  • Steering 0.9%

Shares are of every item recorded on 2010 Vauxhall Corsa tests — a composition, so they add to 100% across all sections, not per test.

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 2010 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.

  1. Check the lights 6.7% 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.

  2. Check the coil springs 6.0% 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.

  3. Check the shock absorbers 3.1% 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 2010 Corsa through its MOT

Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £15–£42 — and 66% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.

Average repair across the 10 common items
£15–£42
Cheapest common item: stop lamp not working
£3–£12
Dearest common item: windscreen damaged
£80–£200
Common items a careful owner can do at home
90%
Repairs that still cost under £30
66%

Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 202,135 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.

  1. 2000 71.9% component mounting prescribed…
  2. 2001 69.1% joints constant velocity boot…
  3. 2002 68.8% joints constant velocity boot…
  4. 2003 68.4% joints constant velocity boot…
  5. 2004 68.6% joints constant velocity boot…
  6. 2005 68.7% joints constant velocity boot…
  7. 2006 69.1% joints constant velocity boot…
  8. 2007 71.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
  9. 2008 72.6% registration plate lamp(s)…
  10. 2009 73.2% registration plate lamp(s)…
  11. 2010 73.7%
    registration plate lamp(s)…
  12. 2011 74.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
  13. 2012 74.9% coil spring fractured or broken
  14. 2013 75.5% coil spring fractured or broken
  15. 2014 74.8% track rod end ball joint dust…
  16. 2015 77.7% track rod end ball joint dust…
  17. 2016 80.0% track rod end ball joint dust…
  18. 2017 81.8% track rod end ball joint dust…
  19. 2018 84.5% track rod end ball joint dust…
  20. 2019 87.2% wipers does not clear the…
  21. 2020 89.9% wipers does not clear the…
  22. 2021 90.1% wipers does not clear the…
  23. 2022 91.5% wipers does not clear the…
  24. 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 2010 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.

Compare 2010 with another year →

Compare two different cars instead →

Other 2010 cars with a similar record

Closest pass rates among 2010 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 2010 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 492,452 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 128,652 25.90% 20.98% +4.92
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 90,015 18.10% 12.21% +5.89
Tyres 78,726 15.90% 19.76% −3.86
Brakes 64,373 13.00% 20.89% −7.89
Noise, emissions and leaks 50,332 10.10% 5.52% +4.58
Body, chassis, structure 30,897 6.20% 5.57% +0.63
Visibility 19,134 3.90% 4.97% −1.07
Non-component advisories 14,270 2.90% 4.18% −1.28
Identification of the vehicle 11,408 2.30% 1.76% +0.54
Steering 4,645 0.90% 2.57% −1.67

The exact failure items, in the tester's words

Share of the 202,135 tests on this vehicle that recorded each item
Recorded item Severity Tests Est. cost Part
Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment Minor 6.7% £5–20 Number Plate Lamp →
Coil spring fractured or broken Suspension Major 6.0% £25–65 Coil Spring →
Stop lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment Major 3.1% £3–12 Stop Light Bulb →
Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak Suspension Major 3.1% £30–75 Shock Absorber →
Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment Major 2.9% £5–25 Headlight Bulb →
Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks Major 2.7% £3–12 Indicator Bulb →
Headlamp not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment Major 2.4% £5–25 Headlight Bulb →
Stop lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment Rectified 1.8% £3–12 Stop Light Bulb →
Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility Minor 1.7% £80–200 Windscreen →
Individual direction indicators incorrect colour Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment Major 1.7% £3–12 Indicator Bulb →

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.

Items recorded as advisory on this vehicle
Recorded item Severity Tests Est. cost
Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres Advisory 16.4% £45–95
Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks Advisory 15.6% £200–700
Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres Advisory 14.2% £45–95
Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes Advisory 9.9% £45–110
Sub-frame corroded and seriously weakened Suspension Advisory 8.2% £180–450
Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension Advisory 7.7% £40–150

Pass rate by mileage

Mileage Tests Pass rate Median odometer
0-30k 5,896 83.0% 22,547 mi
30-60k 37,414 78.0% 47,919 mi
60-90k 76,671 73.7% 75,661 mi
90-120k 59,012 71.4% 102,891 mi
120k+ 23,033 70.2% 138,669 mi

Source: 202,135 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.

2010 Corsa MOT questions

What is the MOT pass rate for a 2010 Vauxhall Corsa?

73.7% of the 202,135 2010 Vauxhall Corsa tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 74.7% for cars first used in 2010. First-attempt pass rate: 65.6%.

What are the most common MOT failures on a 2010 Vauxhall Corsa?

The three most recorded items are registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (6.65%), coil spring fractured or broken (5.96%), stop lamp not working (3.07%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.

Does mileage affect the 2010 Vauxhall Corsa MOT pass rate?

Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 83.0% of the time, falling to 70.2% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2010 Vauxhall Corsa in this dataset had covered 82,990 mi.

Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2010 Vauxhall Corsa?

Petrol: 73.9% pass rate across 177,995 tests. Diesel: 72.3% pass rate across 24,133 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.

Does the season affect the 2010 Vauxhall Corsa MOT pass rate?

Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 73.5% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 73.8%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.