Vauxhall Zafira MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Vauxhall Zafira MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Vauxhall Zafira passed on its first attempt in 69.0%, and its overall record sits −5.3 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Vauxhall Zafira in the 2023–2025 data: 764,910 tests across 19 model years (2000–2018). 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 Zafira MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Vauxhall Zafira, 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.

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

Top Recorded Vauxhall Zafira DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Vauxhall Zafira, each with how many of the model's 764,910 tests it was noted on.

• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 36,648 Vauxhall Zafira tests, 4.8% of the model's MOT record.
• "Coil spring fractured or broken" (Major) — noted on about 32,507 Vauxhall Zafira tests, 4.2% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 23,064 Vauxhall Zafira tests, 3.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction" (Major) — noted on about 19,911 Vauxhall Zafira tests, 2.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn" (Major) — noted on about 15,777 Vauxhall Zafira tests, 2.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Position lamp not working" (Major) — noted on about 13,800 Vauxhall Zafira tests, 1.8% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Vauxhall Zafira Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Vauxhall Zafira model year on record is 2018 (85.8% across 16,645 tests), and the weakest is 2000 (68.2%). The gap between them is 17.6 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Vauxhall Zafira reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 1.7 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 Zafira Owners

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

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

Frequently Asked Questions: Vauxhall Zafira MOT & Reliability