Pass rate
76.3%
Around average — 3.7 pts ahead of the 72.6% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 1,205 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £60–£157
2003 Vauxhall Omega MOT pass rate
- 2003
- typical 93,680 mi
Most common fault
Suspension
23.4% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Which year to buy
- Best 2004 79.7% pass
- Avoid 2003 76.3% pass · this year
Across the 5 years on record, a spread of 3.4 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 71.3%
- Typical mileage
- 94k mi
The 2003 Vauxhall Omega MOT pass rate is 76.3% of its MOT tests — 3.7 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 23.4% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Vauxhall Omega does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Emissions & leaks: 2.0× the national share
Emissions & leaks make up 10.8% of everything recorded on the 2003 Vauxhall Omega, against 5.5% nationally — 5.3 points above. Suspension is still the single largest share at 23.4%, 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.
- Beats its own age and mileage. Once you allow for how old and how far these cars have been driven, the expected pass rate is 72.6% and this one manages 76.3% — 3.7 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 34% 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.
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 Omega? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2003 Vauxhall Omega compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.6%, so this figure is 3.7 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 71.3%. The median 2003 Vauxhall Omega in this dataset had covered 93,680 mi.
93% of the tests on this vehicle ran on Petrol, which passed 76.4% of the time. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 74.4% of the time, April–September 78.5%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Headlamp lens slightly defective", noted on 6.06% of tests.
- 1,205 recorded tests behind this page.
- 76.3% overall pass rate, 71.3% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Vauxhall Omega, the average is 77.0% — best year 2004 (79.7%), worst 2003 (76.3%).
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
- 1,205
- Typical mileage (median)
- 93,680 mi
- Make and model
- Vauxhall Omega
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Headlight Bulb
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Omega MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 65% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Petrol is the most common here (93% of tests).
Regional pass rates for the Omega
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 276 | 76.8% |
| East of England | 180 | 78.3% |
| North West | 133 | 71.4% |
| West Midlands | 127 | 74.0% |
| South West | 124 | 72.6% |
| East Midlands | 110 | 71.8% |
| Yorkshire | 92 | 82.6% |
| London | 60 | 91.7% |
| Scotland | 46 | 73.9% |
| Wales | 36 | 72.2% |
| North East | 21 | 81.0% |
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 2003 Omega
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 2003 Omega
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 6.1% of tests
“headlamp lens slightly defective”
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 corrosion 4.7% of tests
“component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength”
Look under the sills, around the jacking points and where the suspension mounts meet the body. Flaking, holed or crumbly metal fails; a brown stain on sound metal does not.
-
Check the brake pipes 3.2% 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 2003 Omega through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £60–£157 — and 34% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £60–£157
- Cheapest common item: malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or…
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: component mounting prescribed areas…
- £180–£450
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 40%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 34%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 1,205 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 Omega, side by side
5 model years on record, from 2000 to 2004. Across them the pass rate runs from 76.3% to 79.7% — a spread of 3.4 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 77.1% component mounting prescribed…
- 2001 78.4% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2002 76.4% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2003 76.3%headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2004 79.7% pins and bushes pin or bush…
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 2003 Vauxhall Omega 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 2003 cars with a similar record
- Toyota MR2 76.4%
- Land Rover Discovery 76.1%
- MG Tf 76.5%
- Land Rover Range Rover 76.0%
- Toyota RAV4 75.9%
- Toyota Rav-4 75.9%
Closest pass rates among 2003 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 2003 Vauxhall Omega 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 3,556 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 | 839 | 23.40% | 20.98% | +2.42 |
| Brakes | 803 | 22.40% | 20.89% | +1.51 |
| Tyres | 396 | 11.10% | 19.76% | −8.66 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 387 | 10.80% | 5.52% | +5.28 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 385 | 10.70% | 12.21% | −1.51 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 332 | 9.30% | 5.57% | +3.73 |
| Steering | 149 | 4.20% | 2.57% | +1.63 |
| Visibility | 121 | 3.40% | 4.97% | −1.57 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 83 | 2.30% | 1.76% | +0.54 |
| Non-component advisories | 61 | 1.70% | 4.18% | −2.48 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 6.1% | £5–25 |
| Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Suspension | Major | 4.7% | £180–450 |
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Major | 3.2% | £80–180 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Major | 2.9% | £45–120 |
| Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 2.8% | £30–80 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 2.7% | £80–200 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 2.4% | £3–12 |
| Catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 2.0% | £60–250 |
| Battery(ies) insecure but not likely to fall from carrier Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 1.8% | £60–140 |
| Wipers blade defective Visibility | Minor | 1.8% | £8–22 |
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 | 25.9% | £80–180 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 20.9% | £200–700 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 15.8% | £45–95 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 15.5% | £45–110 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 11.4% | £40–150 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 9.9% | £45–95 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 15 | 86.7% | 24,091 mi |
| 30-60k | 143 | 80.4% | 49,211 mi |
| 60-90k | 383 | 74.2% | 76,198 mi |
| 90-120k | 361 | 78.7% | 102,893 mi |
| 120k+ | 303 | 73.6% | 156,066 mi |
Source: 1,205 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.
2003 Omega MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2003 Vauxhall Omega?
76.3% of the 1,205 2003 Vauxhall Omega tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.6% for cars first used in 2003. First-attempt pass rate: 71.3%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2003 Vauxhall Omega?
The three most recorded items are headlamp lens slightly defective (6.06%), component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength (4.73%), rigid brake pipes excessively corroded (3.24%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2003 Vauxhall Omega MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 86.7% of the time, falling to 73.6% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2003 Vauxhall Omega in this dataset had covered 93,680 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2003 Vauxhall Omega?
Petrol: 76.4% pass rate across 1,117 tests. Diesel: 73.8% pass rate across 80 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2003 Vauxhall Omega MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 74.4% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 78.5%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.