Pass rate
76.0%
Around average — 1.2 pts behind the 77.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 61,478 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £26–£74
2012 Vauxhall Zafira MOT pass rate
- 2012
- typical 92,193 mi
Most common fault
Brakes
19.6% of faults · 20.9% nationally
mostly worn pads and discs, corroded pipes and a handbrake that will not hold.
Part only £25–£40 for Brake pads under 1.5 mm. What fitting it takes →
2.3 pts up across model years — 2.4% in 2001, 4.7% in 2018.
Which year to buy
- Best 2018 85.8% pass
- Avoid 2000 68.2% pass
Across the 19 years on record, a spread of 17.6 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 69.2%
- Typical mileage
- 92k mi
The 2012 Vauxhall Zafira MOT pass rate is 76.0% of its MOT tests — 1.2 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 19.6% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Vauxhall Zafira does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Emissions & leaks: 2.0× the national share
Emissions & leaks make up 10.9% of everything recorded on the 2012 Vauxhall Zafira, against 5.5% nationally — 5.4 points above. Brakes are still the single largest share at 19.6%, but at 20.9% nationally that one is ordinary. A smoky diesel or a leaking joint fails on emissions more often than on wear, so ask for a recent emissions printout.
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 Zafira? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2012 Vauxhall Zafira compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 77.2%, so this figure is 1.2 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 69.2%. The median 2012 Vauxhall Zafira in this dataset had covered 92,193 mi.
62% of the tests on this vehicle ran on Petrol, which passed 76.9% of the time. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 75.9% of the time, April–September 76.2%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources", noted on 5.78% of tests.
- 61,478 recorded tests behind this page.
- 76.0% overall pass rate, 69.2% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Vauxhall Zafira, the average is 75.7% — best year 2018 (85.8%), worst 2000 (68.2%).
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
- 61,478
- Typical mileage (median)
- 92,193 mi
- Make and model
- Vauxhall Zafira
- 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 Zafira MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 64% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Petrol is the most common here (62% of tests).
Regional pass rates for the Zafira
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 12,892 | 78.3% |
| South West | 6,896 | 72.2% |
| North West | 6,879 | 75.2% |
| East of England | 6,298 | 78.4% |
| West Midlands | 6,079 | 78.3% |
| Yorkshire | 5,688 | 74.1% |
| East Midlands | 4,420 | 76.6% |
| Scotland | 4,011 | 68.0% |
| London | 3,134 | 85.2% |
| Wales | 2,626 | 72.8% |
| North East | 2,555 | 73.7% |
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 2012 Zafira
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 2012 Zafira
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 5.8% 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 4.2% 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 2.7% 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 2012 Zafira through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £26–£74 — and 44% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £26–£74
- 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
- 70%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 44%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 61,478 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 Zafira, side by side
19 model years on record, from 2000 to 2018. Across them the pass rate runs from 68.2% to 85.8% — a spread of 17.6 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 68.2% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2001 71.5% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2002 71.3% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2003 70.1% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2004 70.5% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2005 70.0% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2006 69.9% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2007 69.5% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2008 70.2% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2009 70.7% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2010 72.5% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2011 73.7% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2012 76.0%registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2013 77.4% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2014 78.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2015 81.0% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2016 82.3% malfunction indicator lamp…
- 2017 83.8% malfunction indicator lamp…
- 2018 85.8% brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick
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 2012 Vauxhall Zafira 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 2012 cars with a similar record
- Hyundai I20 75.9%
- Nissan Note 75.8%
- Volvo V40 75.8%
- Peugeot Rcz 76.2%
- Chevrolet Cruze 76.2%
- Volkswagen Beetle 76.3%
Closest pass rates among 2012 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 2012 Vauxhall Zafira 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 144,691 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 | 28,663 | 19.60% | 20.89% | −1.29 |
| Suspension | 27,918 | 19.00% | 20.98% | −1.98 |
| Tyres | 26,443 | 18.00% | 19.76% | −1.76 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 20,316 | 13.90% | 12.21% | +1.69 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 16,048 | 10.90% | 5.52% | +5.38 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 9,117 | 6.20% | 5.57% | +0.63 |
| Visibility | 6,099 | 4.20% | 4.97% | −0.77 |
| Non-component advisories | 5,784 | 3.90% | 4.18% | −0.28 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 2,622 | 1.80% | 1.76% | +0.04 |
| Steering | 1,681 | 1.10% | 2.57% | −1.47 |
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 | 5.8% | £5–20 |
| Coil spring fractured or broken Suspension | Major | 4.2% | £25–65 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 2.7% | £80–200 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Major | 2.5% | £40–150 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 2.1% | £3–12 |
| Battery(ies) insecure but not likely to fall from carrier Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 2.0% | £60–140 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 2.0% | £5–25 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Major | 1.8% | £18–45 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Major | 1.7% | £45–120 |
| Individual direction indicators incorrect colour Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 1.7% | £3–12 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 22.5% | £45–95 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 18.6% | £200–700 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 15.4% | £45–110 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 10.2% | £45–95 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 10.1% | £18–45 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 8.7% | £40–150 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 606 | 90.1% | 24,100 mi |
| 30-60k | 6,766 | 82.0% | 49,244 mi |
| 60-90k | 21,530 | 77.2% | 76,515 mi |
| 90-120k | 20,655 | 74.2% | 103,649 mi |
| 120k+ | 11,863 | 72.9% | 144,678 mi |
Source: 61,478 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.
2012 Zafira MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2012 Vauxhall Zafira?
76.0% of the 61,478 2012 Vauxhall Zafira tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 77.2% for cars first used in 2012. First-attempt pass rate: 69.2%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2012 Vauxhall Zafira?
The three most recorded items are registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (5.78%), coil spring fractured or broken (4.24%), windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (2.70%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2012 Vauxhall Zafira MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 90.1% of the time, falling to 72.9% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2012 Vauxhall Zafira in this dataset had covered 92,193 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2012 Vauxhall Zafira?
Petrol: 76.9% pass rate across 38,110 tests. Diesel: 74.6% pass rate across 23,333 tests. LPG: 68.8% pass rate across 32 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2012 Vauxhall Zafira MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 75.9% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 76.2%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.