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Citroën 2CV, Buying guide, MOT record and UK numbers

3,113 Citroën 2CVs are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 73.4% of initial MOT tests, 1.1 points above the 72.3% UK average.

Looking at a specific 2CV? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

Citroën 2CV at the MOT

73.4% of 2,468 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the 2CV 289th of 575 models.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Citroën 2CV73.4%
  • All Citroën modelsThe 2CV is 9.9 pts ahead63.5%
  • All cars72.3%

Where 2CVs fail

Share of all failure items recorded on Citroën 2CV tests in 2025.

  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment40.6%
  • Suspension12.3%
  • Brakes11.8%
  • Body, chassis, structure10.5%
  • Noise, emissions and leaks7.1%

The items testers recorded most often were rear fog lamp not working (5.6%), non catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content excessive (4.8%) and headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect (4.8%).

The MOT page lists every common 2CV MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full Citroën 2CV MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The 2CV's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks 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.40.6% of 2CV failure items

  2. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.12.3% of 2CV failure items

  3. 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.11.8% of 2CV failure items

Citroën 2CVs in the UK

3,113 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has grown 9.3% since the end of 2014.

Change since 2014
+9.3%from 2,849 licensed
Typical year of first use
1986half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 1986 or earlier
Declared off the road
3,88756% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Citroën 2CVs since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 20142,849
End of 20152,803
End of 20162,716
End of 20172,692
End of 20182,726
End of 20192,677
End of 20202,563
End of 20212,591
End of 20222,632
End of 20232,605
End of 20242,644
End of 20252,717
End of June 20263,113

How old they are

Licensed Citroën 2CVs by year of first use.

A further 15 were first used before 1975.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025
19924
19910
1990117
1989257
1988358
1987444
1986324
1985201
1984158
1983173
1982116
198161
198020
197943
197844
197715
197612
197523

2CV engine sizes

0.6 litre engines made up 99% of Citroën 2CV MOT tests in 2025. Petrol accounts for 100% of licensed 2CVs.

Other Citroën models

The most-tested Citroën models in 2025, against the 2CV's 73.4% MOT pass rate.

All 21 Citroën models

Citroën 2CV FAQs

How many Citroën 2CVs are there in the UK?

3,113 Citroën 2CVs were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 3,887 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Citroën 2CV 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 73.4% first-time pass rate for the Citroën 2CV across 2,468 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

What should I check before buying a used Citroën 2CV?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, suspension and brakes. Then check the individual car's own records. Outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and police stolen markers are not part of the MOT record, so they take a history check.

How do I check a Citroën 2CV'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.

Already found a 2CV?

Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.

Across the 1,548 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the Citroën history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the Citroen VIN check.

  • Outstanding finance
  • Write-off records
  • Stolen markers
  • Mileage history
  • Previous keepers

MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), which also gives the engine sizes. Licensed, SORN, fuel and registration figures are from the Department for Transport vehicle licensing statistics (VEH0120, VEH0124, VEH0160). Government data is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability. History-check findings are anonymous counts from reports bought on Carpeep, each vehicle counted once, and are published only where at least 100 vehicles returned an answer.