Vauxhall Viva MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Vauxhall Viva MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Vauxhall Viva passed on its first attempt in 86.5%, and its overall record sits +7.0 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Vauxhall Viva in the 2023–2025 data: 126,330 tests across 5 model years (2015–2019). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.

Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.

Most Common Vauxhall Viva MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Vauxhall Viva, the Visibility section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.

Shares are over the Vauxhall Viva's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Vauxhall Viva DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Vauxhall Viva, each with how many of the model's 126,330 tests it was noted on.

• "Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively" (Major) — noted on about 3,636 Vauxhall Viva tests, 2.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Tyre pressure monitoring system malfunctioning or obviously inoperative" (Major) — noted on about 3,424 Vauxhall Viva tests, 2.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Wipers blade defective" (Minor) — noted on about 2,339 Vauxhall Viva tests, 1.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 1,570 Vauxhall Viva tests, 1.2% of the model's MOT record.
• "Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" (Major) — noted on about 1,209 Vauxhall Viva tests, 1.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" (Major) — noted on about 911 Vauxhall Viva tests, 0.7% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Vauxhall Viva Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Vauxhall Viva model year on record is 2019 (91.7% across 12,922 tests), and the weakest is 2015 (84.4%). The gap between them is 7.3 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Vauxhall Viva reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 1.9 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.

Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Vauxhall Viva Owners

These checks follow this Vauxhall Viva's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Vauxhall Viva.

• the wipers and washers — “wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively”

  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.

• tyre pressures and valves — “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.

• 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 Viva. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Frequently Asked Questions: Vauxhall Viva MOT & Reliability