Pass rate, every year
4,800 tests across 6 model years, 2003–2008.
−9.7 pts vs the national average
Pass rate, every year
4,800 tests across 6 model years, 2003–2008.
−9.7 pts vs the national average
Best year to buy
2003 73.8%
The strongest of the 6 years on record. See the 2003 page →
Worst year to buy
2008 68.3%
5.5 points below the 2003 peak. See the 2008 page →
The Vauxhall Signum MOT pass rate is 71.3%, −9.7 percentage points below the UK average. That is 4,800 DVSA MOT tests recorded between 2003 and 2008. This page lists the most common Vauxhall Signum MOT failures by category, names the best and worst model years, and finishes with a pre-MOT checklist you can run at home.
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Vauxhall Signum MOT pass rates does in your corner of the country.
The Vauxhall Signum passed on its first attempt in 62.2%, and its overall record sits −9.7 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Vauxhall Signum in the 2023–2025 data: 4,800 tests across 6 model years (2003–2008). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.
| Measure | This model |
|---|---|
| Tests analysed | 4,800 |
| Overall pass rate | 71.3% |
| Passed on first attempt | 62.2% |
| Average mileage at test | 121,751 mi |
| Model years covered | 2003–2008 (6 years) |
| Versus UK national average | −9.7 pts below |
Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.
Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Vauxhall Signum, the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.
| Inspection section | Share of failures |
|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 39% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 22% |
| Suspension | 17% |
| Brakes | 11% |
| Visibility | 11% |
Shares are over the Vauxhall Signum's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.
Around 39% of the recorded Vauxhall Signum failures fall in the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (9.5%), "Headlamp lens slightly defective" (3.9%), "Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect" (2.9%) among the Vauxhall Signum's lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment faults.
Around 22% of the recorded Vauxhall Signum failures fall in the Body, chassis, structure section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated" (5.2%), "Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" (3.8%), "Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases" (0.5%) among the Vauxhall Signum's body, chassis, structure faults.
Around 17% of the recorded Vauxhall Signum failures fall in the Suspension section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Coil spring fractured or broken" (5.3%), "Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated" (0.9%), "Linkage ball joints ball joint excessively worn" (0.9%) among the Vauxhall Signum's suspension faults.
The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Vauxhall Signum, each with how many of the model's 4,800 tests it was noted on.
The strongest Vauxhall Signum model year on record is 2003 (73.8% across 191 tests), and the weakest is 2008 (68.3%). The gap between them is 5.5 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 Signum | 104 | 68.3% |
| 2007 Signum | 1,185 | 70.9% |
| 2006 Signum | 1,773 | 72.3% |
| 2005 Signum | 914 | 71.4% |
| 2004 Signum | 633 | 68.7% |
| 2003 Signum | 191 | 73.8% |
Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.
These checks follow this Vauxhall Signum's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Vauxhall Signum.
the lights — “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.
the coil springs — “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.
the windscreen — “windscreen damaged”
Check the driver’s side of the screen within the swept area for chips and cracks; anything larger than 10mm in the driver’s central view is a fail. Most chips can be resin-repaired for far less than a new screen.
Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Vauxhall Signum. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.
71.3% of the 4,800 recorded Vauxhall Signum MOT tests ended in a pass, −9.7 percentage points below the national average. 62.2% of those passed on the first attempt.
2003 is the strongest Vauxhall Signum year on record at 73.8%, while 2008 is the weakest at 68.3%. The year-by-year table below lists every model year with at least 50 recorded tests.
The most recorded Vauxhall Signum failures are "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" and "Coil spring fractured or broken" — together around 15% of tests, mostly in the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section.