Pass rate
86.3%
Above average — 2.3 pts ahead of the 84.0% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 46,489 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £30–£69
2016 Vauxhall Viva MOT pass rate
- 2016
- typical 39,783 mi
Most common fault
Tyres
33.4% of faults · 19.8% nationally
mostly tread below the limit, cuts and sidewall bulges.
Part only £55–£85 for Tread depth below 1.6 mm. What fitting it takes →
1.9 pts down across model years — 4.3% in 2015, 2.4% in 2019.
Which year to buy
- Best 2019 91.7% pass
- Avoid 2015 84.4% pass
Across the 5 years on record, a spread of 7.3 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 84.3%
- Typical mileage
- 40k mi
The 2016 Vauxhall Viva MOT pass rate is 86.3% of its MOT tests — 2.3 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Tyres is the biggest single reason it fails, at 33.4% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Vauxhall Viva does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Tyres: 1.7× the national share
Tyres make up 33.4% of everything recorded on the 2016 Vauxhall Viva, against 19.8% nationally — 13.6 points above. Check all four tyres yourself, including the inner shoulders, and look at the date stamp — a tyre can pass on tread and still be six years old.
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 Viva? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2016 Vauxhall Viva compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 84.0%, so this figure is 2.3 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 84.3%. The median 2016 Vauxhall Viva in this dataset had covered 39,783 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 86.2% of the time, April–September 86.5%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Tyre pressure monitoring system malfunctioning or obviously inoperative", noted on 3.91% of tests.
- 46,489 recorded tests behind this page.
- 86.3% overall pass rate, 84.3% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Vauxhall Viva, the average is 88.0% — best year 2019 (91.7%), worst 2015 (84.4%).
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
- 46,489
- Typical mileage (median)
- 39,783 mi
- Make and model
- Vauxhall Viva
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Tyres
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Viva MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 67% so small gaps stay visible.
Regional pass rates for the Viva
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 8,226 | 87.3% |
| Scotland | 6,061 | 80.6% |
| South West | 5,014 | 85.7% |
| North West | 4,650 | 86.6% |
| East of England | 4,498 | 89.0% |
| Yorkshire | 4,377 | 87.0% |
| West Midlands | 4,255 | 88.1% |
| North East | 2,962 | 86.4% |
| Wales | 2,800 | 85.8% |
| East Midlands | 2,655 | 88.9% |
| London | 990 | 87.0% |
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 2016 Viva
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 2016 Viva
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 tyre pressures and valves 3.9% of tests
“tyre pressure monitoring system malfunctioning or obviously inoperative”
Set the pressures to the figures on the door pillar, not the tyre wall, and check the valves do not hiss. A leaking valve is a two-minute fix that fails a test.
-
Check the wipers and washers 1.7% of tests
“wipers blade defective”
Run the wipers with the screen wet: they should clear it in one sweep without smearing or juddering. Top the washer bottle up and check both jets hit the screen.
-
Check the windscreen 1.3% 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 2016 Viva through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £30–£69 — and 45% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £30–£69
- Cheapest common item: malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or…
- £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
- 45%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 46,489 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 Viva, side by side
5 model years on record, from 2015 to 2019. Across them the pass rate runs from 84.4% to 91.7% — a spread of 7.3 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2015 84.4% tyre pressure monitoring system…
- 2016 86.3%tyre pressure monitoring system…
- 2017 89.2% wipers blade defective
- 2018 91.0% wipers blade defective
- 2019 91.7% wipers blade defective
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 2016 Vauxhall Viva 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 2016 cars with a similar record
- Mercedes-Benz B-Class 86.3%
- Land Rover Discovery 86.2%
- Ford Galaxy 86.2%
- SEAT Leon 86.4%
- Kia Optima 86.4%
- Infiniti Q30 86.1%
Closest pass rates among 2016 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 2016 Vauxhall Viva 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 50,731 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyres | 17,209 | 33.40% | 19.76% | +13.64 |
| Brakes | 6,891 | 13.40% | 20.89% | −7.49 |
| Suspension | 6,618 | 12.80% | 20.98% | −8.18 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 5,395 | 10.50% | 5.57% | +4.93 |
| Visibility | 3,638 | 7.10% | 4.97% | +2.13 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 3,493 | 6.80% | 12.21% | −5.41 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 3,237 | 6.30% | 5.52% | +0.78 |
| Non-component advisories | 2,636 | 5.10% | 4.18% | +0.92 |
| Steering | 1,002 | 1.90% | 2.57% | −0.67 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 612 | 1.20% | 1.76% | −0.56 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyre pressure monitoring system malfunctioning or obviously inoperative Tyres | Major | 3.9% | £45–95 |
| Wipers blade defective Visibility | Minor | 1.7% | £8–22 |
| Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | Major | 1.7% | £8–22 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 1.3% | £80–200 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 1.0% | £5–20 |
| Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | Rectified | 0.97% | £8–22 |
| Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | Major | 0.96% | £45–95 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 0.87% | £3–12 |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Suspension | Major | 0.81% | £18–45 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Major | 0.78% | £45–95 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 14.7% | £45–95 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 11.3% | £45–95 |
| Exhaust system system insecure Body, chassis, structure | Advisory | 7.2% | £45–120 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 5.4% | £18–45 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 5.3% | £40–150 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 4.7% | £200–700 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 14,369 | 92.4% | 20,044 mi |
| 30-60k | 22,868 | 85.7% | 43,520 mi |
| 60-90k | 7,658 | 79.0% | 71,314 mi |
| 90-120k | 1,318 | 75.5% | 99,957 mi |
| 120k+ | 251 | 75.3% | 140,769 mi |
Source: 46,489 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.
2016 Viva MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2016 Vauxhall Viva?
86.3% of the 46,489 2016 Vauxhall Viva tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 84.0% for cars first used in 2016. First-attempt pass rate: 84.3%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2016 Vauxhall Viva?
The three most recorded items are tyre pressure monitoring system malfunctioning or obviously inoperative (3.91%), wipers blade defective (1.71%), wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (1.67%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2016 Vauxhall Viva MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 92.4% of the time, falling to 75.3% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2016 Vauxhall Viva in this dataset had covered 39,783 mi.
Does the season affect the 2016 Vauxhall Viva MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 86.2% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 86.5%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.