65.2%
Citroën C3 pass rate
Used Citroën C3 buying guide
In 2025, Citroën C3 cars passed 65.2% of 189,353 initial MOT tests, 7.1 points below the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.
Looking at a specific C3? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Citroën C3 MOT record in brief
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.
72.3%
UK average, all cars
−7.1
percentage points below average
Ranked on pass rate the C3 sits 427th of 575 models in the data. Citroën as a brand averaged 63.5%, so this model runs 1.6 points ahead of its own brand. Citroën C3 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 86.6% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 53.6%.
A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full Citroën C3 MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the C3 compares with similar cars.
C3 fuel types
Petrol was the most common fuel among Citroën C3 cars tested in 2025. Diesel still made up 33.2% of tests.
Where the C3 fails its MOT
Where Citroën C3 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 stop lamp not working (5.4%), position lamp not working (5.4%) and joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (4.7%). See every common C3 MOT failure.
These are DVSA failure records across every Citroën C3 that failed, not a claim that every C3 has these problems.
What should you check when buying a used C3?
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. 32.1% of C3 failure items.
2
Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters. 17.7% of C3 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. 10.9% of C3 failure items.
4
Body, chassis, structure
Look underneath and along the sills for corrosion, and check for damaged or poorly repaired panels. 10.2% of C3 failure items.
5
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. 9.6% of C3 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.
C3 vs similar cars
Head-to-head comparisons on the same 2025 DVSA data.
What the MOT record doesn't tell you
Knowing Citroën C3 failures cluster around lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and suspension 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 C3 you are looking at. One £15 report, instant results, backed by a £30,000 data guarantee. More on the Citroën history check.
- Outstanding finance
- Write-off records
- Stolen markers
- Mileage history
- Previous keepers
Other used Citroën models
The most-tested Citroën models in 2025, with how their MOT pass rate compares with the C3.
Used Citroën C3 FAQs
Is the Citroën C3 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 65.2% first-time pass rate for the Citroën C3 across 189,353 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.
Do older Citroën C3 cars fail their MOT more often?
Citroën C3 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 86.6% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 53.6%. 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 Citroën C3?
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 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 Citroën C3'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.