Citroën C4 Cactus, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls
37,154 Citroën C4 Cactuses are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 69.9% of initial MOT tests, 2.4 points below the 72.3% UK average.
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Citroën C4 Cactus at the MOT
69.9% of 21,184 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the C4 Cactus 350th of 575 models. Citroën C4 Cactuses aged 3 to 5 years passed 79.6% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 6 to 10 years that fell to 67.2%.
First-time pass rate, 2025
Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.
Pass rate by age at test
Citroën C4 Cactus tests in 2025.
Where C4 Cactuses fail
Share of all failure items recorded on Citroën C4 Cactus tests in 2025.
The items testers recorded most often were wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (9.5%), joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (7.3%) and tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (6.1%).
The MOT page lists every common C4 Cactus MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.
What to look at on a viewing
The C4 Cactus's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.
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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.29% of C4 Cactus failure items
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Visibility
Check the windscreen for chips or cracks in the driver's view, and that the wipers and washers clear it properly.15.3% of C4 Cactus failure items
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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.14.3% of C4 Cactus failure items
Citroën C4 Cactuses in the UK
37,154 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has grown 212% since the end of 2015, although it peaked at 39,180 at the end of 2022.
- Change since 2015
- +212%from 11,898 licensed
- Typical year of first use
- 2016half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2016 or earlier
- Declared off the road
- 8962.4% of those registered, under SORN
Licensed Citroën C4 Cactuses since 2014
Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.
Show the figures
| Date | Licensed |
|---|---|
| End of 2014 | 1,409 |
| End of 2015 | 11,898 |
| End of 2016 | 21,910 |
| End of 2017 | 27,901 |
| End of 2018 | 33,102 |
| End of 2019 | 37,096 |
| End of 2020 | 38,745 |
| End of 2021 | 39,127 |
| End of 2022 | 39,180 |
| End of 2023 | 38,689 |
| End of 2024 | 38,391 |
| End of 2025 | 37,772 |
| End of June 2026 | 37,154 |
How old they are
Licensed Citroën C4 Cactuses by year of first use.
- Licensed at the end of 2025
- First registered that year
Show the figures
| First used | Licensed, end 2025 | First registered that year |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 359 | 373 |
| 2020 | 1,984 | 2,069 |
| 2019 | 3,949 | 4,240 |
| 2018 | 5,108 | 5,600 |
| 2017 | 5,653 | 6,226 |
| 2016 | 9,756 | 10,996 |
| 2015 | 9,744 | 11,341 |
| 2014 | 1,209 |
9,744 C4 Cactuses first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 86% of the 11,341 first registered that year.
C4 Cactus engines and fuel
1.2 litre engines made up 74% of Citroën C4 Cactus MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.6 litre at 20%. Petrol accounts for 62% of licensed C4 Cactuses and diesel for 38%.
Engine size at MOT, 2025
Share of 21,184 initial MOT tests in 2025.
Fuel type, licensed C4 Cactuses
DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.
| Fuel | Licensed | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 23,001 | 62% |
| Diesel | 14,152 | 38% |
| Battery electric | 1 | <0.1% |
Citroën C4 Cactus recalls
11 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Citroën C4 Cactus. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every C4 Cactus is affected.
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Dec 2022 R/2023/046
On the affected vehicles the operation of the brake vacuum pump may be affected by material detaching from the timing belt caused by the ageing of the engine oil
Defect and remedy
- Remedy
- To rectify this issue a software update will be downloaded which will improve the vacuum diagnosis (in order to warn earlier about the risk of loss or reduction of braking assistance). The timing belt will be checked and if needed replaced with other components of the braking assistance system and the vacuum pump.
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Dec 2022 R/2023/036
On the affected vehicles the operation of the brake vacuum pump may be affected by material detaching from the timing belt caused by the ageing of the engine oil
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- On the affected vehicles the operation of the brake vacuum pump may be affected by material detaching from the timing belt caused by the ageing of the engine oil.
- Remedy
- To rectify this issue a software update will be downloaded which will improve the vacuum diagnosis (in order to warn earlier about the risk of loss or reduction of braking assistance).
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Jan 2021 R/2020/327
The brake vacuum pump may be affected by material detaching from the timing belt
Defect and remedy
- Remedy
- Update detection software inspect and if necessary replace vacuum pump and timing belt.
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Nov 2019 R/2019/384
The fitting of the rear left brake pipe may not be correct to specification
Defect and remedy
- Remedy
- Check the correct fitting of the left hand brake pipe adjust or replace the pipe as necessary
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Apr 2019 R/2019/137
A plastic component inside the exhaust line could damage the diesel particle filter
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- A plastic component inside the exhaust line could under certain circumstances damage the diesel particle filter.
- Remedy
- Check and if necessary replace the particle filter.
-
Oct 2017 R/2017/271
Bonnet striker may be insecure
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- The striker wire on the bonnet lining may not have sufficient support to prove it with the security for its intended purpose. This can lead to incorrect locking of the bonnet over time and could result in an unintentional release of the bonnet.
- Remedy
- On affected vehicles inspect and if requiredfit an additional strengthener to retain the striker cable on the inner panel of the bonnet. In some cases it may be necessary to replace the bonnet.
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Jun 2017 R/2017/176
Bumper trim bonding may not be to specification
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- On the affected vehicles the bonding of the front bumper trim may not conform to specification. Over time the bonding may allow the trim to detach
- Remedy
- Check the bonding of the front bumper lower trim and rectify or replace it if necessary
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May 2017 R/2017/168
Fuel may leak
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Due to a non conformity in production an engine fuel pie protective sleeve could cause wear due to contact with surrounding components.This may cause a fuel leak
- Remedy
- On affected vehicles reposition the fuel pipe protective sleeve or replace the pipe if wear is noted.
Other Citroën models
The most-tested Citroën models in 2025, against the C4 Cactus's 69.9% MOT pass rate.
Citroën C4 Cactus FAQs
How many Citroën C4 Cactuses are there in the UK?
37,154 Citroën C4 Cactuses were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 896 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.
Is the Citroën C4 Cactus 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 69.9% first-time pass rate for the Citroën C4 Cactus across 21,184 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.
Has the Citroën C4 Cactus had any recalls?
11 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Citroën C4 Cactus. The most recent was published in December 2022. A recall applies to vehicles built in a set period, so check a specific car on the GOV.UK vehicle recall checker.
What should I check before buying a used Citroën C4 Cactus?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, visibility and tyres. 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 C4 Cactus'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 C4 Cactus?
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). Recalls are from the DVSA vehicle recalls data, with recalls launched up to October 2026. 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.