Pass rate
73.3%
Below average — 0.4 pts ahead of the 72.9% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 2,214 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £40–£116
2002 Vauxhall Vectra MOT pass rate
- 2002
- typical 98,615 mi
Most common fault
Suspension
24.4% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Which year to buy
- Best 2001 75.3% pass
- Avoid 2004 69.7% pass
Across the 10 years on record, a spread of 5.6 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 65.9%
- Typical mileage
- 99k mi
The 2002 Vauxhall Vectra MOT pass rate is 73.3% of its MOT tests — about what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 24.4% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Vauxhall Vectra does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Fewer problems with tyres
Tyres are 9.1% of this car’s recorded faults, against 19.8% nationally — the mirror image of the usual story on a car of this age.
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 Vectra? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2002 Vauxhall Vectra compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.9%, so this figure is 0.4 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 65.9%. The median 2002 Vauxhall Vectra in this dataset had covered 98,615 mi.
The most common fuel recorded here is Petrol — 93% of tests, with a 73.7% pass rate. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 73.4% of the time, April–September 73.1%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources", noted on 9.62% of tests.
- 2,214 recorded tests behind this page.
- 73.3% overall pass rate, 65.9% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Vauxhall Vectra, the average is 71.0% — best year 2001 (75.3%), worst 2004 (69.7%).
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
- 2,214
- Typical mileage (median)
- 98,615 mi
- Make and model
- Vauxhall Vectra
- 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 Vectra MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 61% 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 Vectra
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 435 | 74.0% |
| East of England | 318 | 76.1% |
| South West | 293 | 67.9% |
| West Midlands | 283 | 77.0% |
| North West | 238 | 71.8% |
| East Midlands | 198 | 72.2% |
| Yorkshire | 144 | 69.4% |
| Scotland | 108 | 70.4% |
| London | 84 | 83.3% |
| Wales | 60 | 70.0% |
| North East | 49 | 73.5% |
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 2002 Vectra
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 2002 Vectra
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 9.6% 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 3.9% 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 windscreen 3.7% of tests
“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.
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 2002 Vectra through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £40–£116 — and 36% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £40–£116
- 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
- 40%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 36%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 2,214 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 Vectra, side by side
10 model years on record, from 2000 to 2009. Across them the pass rate runs from 69.7% to 75.3% — a spread of 5.6 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 74.1% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2001 75.3% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2002 73.3%registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2003 70.4% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2004 69.7% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2005 70.1% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2006 71.3% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2007 71.0% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2008 70.8% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2009 71.2% ball joint dust cover severely…
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 2002 Vauxhall Vectra 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 2002 cars with a similar record
- Volkswagen Passat 73.3%
- Renault Megane 73.3%
- Smart Mcc City 73.2%
- Volkswagen Lupo 73.4%
- Suzuki Jimny 73.4%
- Audi A4 73.6%
Closest pass rates among 2002 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 2002 Vauxhall Vectra 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 8,028 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 | 1,985 | 24.40% | 20.98% | +3.42 |
| Brakes | 1,855 | 22.80% | 20.89% | +1.91 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 925 | 11.40% | 12.21% | −0.81 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 756 | 9.30% | 5.52% | +3.78 |
| Tyres | 743 | 9.10% | 19.76% | −10.66 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 727 | 8.90% | 5.57% | +3.33 |
| Non-component advisories | 337 | 4.10% | 4.18% | −0.08 |
| Visibility | 273 | 3.40% | 4.97% | −1.57 |
| Steering | 252 | 3.10% | 2.57% | +0.53 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 175 | 2.20% | 1.76% | +0.44 |
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 | 9.6% | £5–20 |
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 4.3% | £5–25 |
| Coil spring fractured or broken Suspension | Major | 3.9% | £25–65 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 3.7% | £80–200 |
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 3.1% | £80–250 |
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Major | 3.1% | £80–180 |
| Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes | Major | 3.0% | £45–110 |
| Catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 2.8% | £60–250 |
| Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 2.6% | £30–80 |
| Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | Major | 2.5% | £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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Advisory | 24.8% | £80–180 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 21.8% | £200–700 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 16.7% | £45–110 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 15.9% | £45–95 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 14.1% | £40–150 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 11.7% | £45–95 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 21 | 90.5% | 23,792 mi |
| 30-60k | 256 | 75.4% | 48,814 mi |
| 60-90k | 634 | 75.9% | 76,130 mi |
| 90-120k | 628 | 72.9% | 104,530 mi |
| 120k+ | 650 | 69.7% | 156,957 mi |
Source: 2,214 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.
2002 Vectra MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2002 Vauxhall Vectra?
73.3% of the 2,214 2002 Vauxhall Vectra tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.9% for cars first used in 2002. First-attempt pass rate: 65.9%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2002 Vauxhall Vectra?
The three most recorded items are registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (9.62%), headlamp lens slightly defective (4.25%), coil spring fractured or broken (3.88%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2002 Vauxhall Vectra MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 90.5% of the time, falling to 69.7% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2002 Vauxhall Vectra in this dataset had covered 98,615 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2002 Vauxhall Vectra?
Petrol: 73.7% pass rate across 2,066 tests. Diesel: 66.4% pass rate across 143 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2002 Vauxhall Vectra MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 73.4% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 73.1%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.