Pass rate
73.8%
Below average — 1.2 pts ahead of the 72.6% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 191 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £42–£120
2003 Vauxhall Signum MOT pass rate
- 2003
- typical 112,399 mi
Most common fault
Brakes
24.8% 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 2003 73.8% pass · this year
- Avoid 2008 68.3% pass
Across the 6 years on record, a spread of 5.5 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 67.7%
- Typical mileage
- 112k mi
The 2003 Vauxhall Signum MOT pass rate is 73.8% of its MOT tests — 1.2 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 24.8% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Vauxhall Signum does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Body & chassis: 2.0× the national share
Body & chassis accounts for 11.1% of everything recorded on the 2003 Vauxhall Signum, against 5.6% nationally — 5.5 points above. Brakes are still the single largest share at 24.8%, 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.
- Based on a small sample. 191 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 Signum? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2003 Vauxhall Signum compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.6%, so this figure is 1.2 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 67.7%. The median 2003 Vauxhall Signum in this dataset had covered 112,399 mi.
56% of the tests on this vehicle ran on Petrol, which passed 74.8% of the time. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 71.4% of the time, April–September 77.2%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources", noted on 10.99% of tests.
- 191 recorded tests behind this page.
- 73.8% overall pass rate, 67.7% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Vauxhall Signum, the average is 71.3% — best year 2003 (73.8%), worst 2008 (68.3%).
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
- 191
- Typical mileage (median)
- 112,399 mi
- Make and model
- Vauxhall Signum
- 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 Signum MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 58% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Petrol is the most common here (56% of tests).
Regional pass rates for the Signum
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 40 | 80.0% |
| East of England | 30 | 76.7% |
| West Midlands | 28 | 71.4% |
| East Midlands | 21 | 76.2% |
| North West | 17 | 70.6% |
| South West | 15 | 60.0% |
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 Signum
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 Signum
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 11.0% 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 5.8% 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 brake pipes 4.2% 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 Signum through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £42–£120 — and 36% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £42–£120
- Cheapest common item: registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the…
- £5–£20
- Dearest common item: joints constant velocity boot severely…
- £80–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 50%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 36%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 191 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 Signum, side by side
6 model years on record, from 2003 to 2008. Across them the pass rate runs from 68.3% to 73.8% — a spread of 5.5 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2003 73.8%registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2004 68.7% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2005 71.4% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2006 72.3% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2007 70.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2008 68.3% joints constant velocity boot…
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 Signum 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
- Subaru Forester 73.7%
- Toyota Corolla 73.9%
- Nissan Almera 73.9%
- Mazda Mx-5 73.6%
- Volkswagen Bora 74.0%
- Audi A4 74.1%
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 Signum 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 660 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 | 165 | 24.80% | 20.89% | +3.91 |
| Suspension | 125 | 18.80% | 20.98% | −2.18 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 85 | 12.80% | 12.21% | +0.59 |
| Tyres | 76 | 11.40% | 19.76% | −8.36 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 74 | 11.10% | 5.57% | +5.53 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 45 | 6.80% | 5.52% | +1.28 |
| Non-component advisories | 34 | 5.10% | 4.18% | +0.92 |
| Steering | 22 | 3.30% | 2.57% | +0.73 |
| Visibility | 19 | 2.90% | 4.97% | −2.07 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 15 | 2.30% | 1.76% | +0.54 |
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 | 11.0% | £5–20 |
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 8.9% | £80–250 |
| Coil spring fractured or broken Suspension | Major | 5.8% | £25–65 |
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 4.7% | £5–25 |
| Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | Major | 4.2% | £80–250 |
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Major | 4.2% | £80–180 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 4.2% | £80–200 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 3.1% | £18–45 |
| Parking brake performance inoperative on one side Brakes | Major | 3.1% | £60–150 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 3.1% | £5–25 |
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 | 29.8% | £80–180 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 20.9% | £45–95 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 16.2% | £200–700 |
| Non-component advisories Play in steering rack inner joint(s) Non-component advisories | Advisory | 13.6% | £120–300 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 13.1% | £45–95 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 12.6% | £45–110 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30-60k | 23 | 91.3% | 46,759 mi |
| 60-90k | 44 | 72.7% | 78,514 mi |
| 90-120k | 33 | 66.7% | 102,735 mi |
| 120k+ | 90 | 72.2% | 158,579 mi |
Source: 191 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 Signum MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2003 Vauxhall Signum?
73.8% of the 191 2003 Vauxhall Signum tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.6% for cars first used in 2003. First-attempt pass rate: 67.7%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2003 Vauxhall Signum?
The three most recorded items are registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (10.99%), joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated (8.90%), coil spring fractured or broken (5.76%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2003 Vauxhall Signum MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 91.3% of the time, falling to 72.2% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2003 Vauxhall Signum in this dataset had covered 112,399 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2003 Vauxhall Signum?
Petrol: 74.8% pass rate across 107 tests. Diesel: 72.6% pass rate across 84 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2003 Vauxhall Signum MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 71.4% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 77.2%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.