54.5%
Chevrolet Spark pass rate
Used Chevrolet Spark buying guide
In 2025, Chevrolet Spark cars passed 54.5% of 13,365 initial MOT tests, 17.8 points below the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.
Looking at a specific Spark? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Chevrolet Spark MOT record in brief
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.
72.3%
UK average, all cars
−17.8
percentage points below average
Ranked on pass rate the Spark sits 544th of 575 models in the data. Chevrolet as a brand averaged 54.9%, so this model runs level with its own brand. Chevrolet Spark cars aged 6 to 10 years passed 63.7% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 54.3%.
A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full Chevrolet Spark MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the Spark compares with similar cars.
Spark fuel types
Petrol was the most common fuel among Chevrolet Spark cars tested in 2025. None of the tested examples were diesel.
Where the Spark fails its MOT
Where Chevrolet Spark cars that failed their 2025 MOT were marked down, as a share of all recorded failure items.
The specific items testers recorded most often were position lamp not working (8.5%), rigid brake pipes excessively corroded (7.8%) and stop lamp not working (6.1%). See every common Spark MOT failure.
These are DVSA failure records across every Chevrolet Spark that failed, not a claim that every Spark has these problems.
What should you check when buying a used Spark?
The areas above, most common first, and what an MOT tester looks at in each.
1
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Walk round with every light on: headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lamp. Check no warning lights stay on after starting. 28.5% of Spark failure items.
2
Brakes
Make sure the pedal feels firm, the car stops in a straight line, the handbrake holds on a slope and no brake warning light is showing. 24.4% of Spark failure items.
3
Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters. 20% of Spark failure items.
4
Tyres
Check tread depth across the full width of every tyre (the legal minimum is 1.6mm), and look for cuts, bulges and uneven wear. 8.1% of Spark failure items.
5
Visibility
Check the windscreen for chips or cracks in the driver's view, and that the wipers and washers clear it properly. 7.7% of Spark failure items.
None of this replaces the car's own record. Run a free MOT history check on the registration to see every test, advisory and recorded mileage for that car.
What the MOT record doesn't tell you
Knowing Chevrolet Spark failures cluster around lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and brakes tells you what to inspect. It tells you nothing about whether the car is safe to buy. An MOT does not show money still owed on the car, a write-off, a theft record or a clocked odometer.
Check the exact Spark you are looking at. One £15 report, instant results, backed by a £30,000 data guarantee. More on the Chevrolet history check.
- Outstanding finance
- Write-off records
- Stolen markers
- Mileage history
- Previous keepers
Other used Chevrolet models
The most-tested Chevrolet models in 2025, with how their MOT pass rate compares with the Spark.
Used Chevrolet Spark FAQs
Is the Chevrolet Spark reliable?
MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is a 54.5% first-time pass rate for the Chevrolet Spark across 13,365 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.
Do older Chevrolet Spark cars fail their MOT more often?
Chevrolet Spark cars aged 6 to 10 years passed 63.7% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 54.3%. On an older example, the car's own MOT history tells you more than the model average.
What should I check before buying a used Chevrolet Spark?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, brakes and suspension. Then check the individual car's history: outstanding finance, insurance write-off records, stolen markers, mileage and previous keepers. None of these appear in the MOT record or on the V5C.
How do I check a Chevrolet Spark's history?
Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.