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Citroën C5, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

38,381 Citroën C5s are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 78% of initial MOT tests, 5.7 points above the 72.3% UK average.

Looking at a specific C5? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

Citroën C5 at the MOT

78% of 26,607 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the C5 226th of 575 models. Citroën C5s aged 3 to 5 years passed 83.6% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 56.9%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Citroën C578%
  • All Citroën modelsThe C5 is 14.5 pts ahead63.5%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Citroën C5 tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years14,852 tests83.6%
  • 6 to 10 years2,197 tests76.1%
  • 11 years and over5,952 tests56.9%

Where C5s fail

Share of all failure items recorded on Citroën C5 tests in 2025.

  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment27.5%
  • Tyres17.5%
  • Brakes16%
  • Suspension14.1%
  • Body, chassis, structure9.1%

The items testers recorded most often were joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (7.6%), registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps (6.6%) and tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (6.6%).

The MOT page lists every common C5 MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full Citroën C5 MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The C5'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.27.5% of C5 failure items

  2. 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.17.5% of C5 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.16% of C5 failure items

Citroën C5s in the UK

38,381 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has fallen 9.6% since the end of 2014.

Change since 2014
−9.6%from 42,455 licensed
Typical year of first use
2021half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2021 or earlier
First registered in 2025
2,466against 6,881 in 2019
Declared off the road
5,42112% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Citroën C5s since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 201442,455
End of 201537,249
End of 201632,324
End of 201727,160
End of 201822,686
End of 201925,544
End of 202027,700
End of 202128,931
End of 202230,337
End of 202334,202
End of 202435,710
End of 202536,441
End of June 202638,381

How old they are

Licensed Citroën C5s by year of first use.

  • Licensed at the end of 2025
  • First registered that year

A further 804 were first used before 2006.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
20252,3112,466
20243,5243,690
20236,1286,540
20223,6574,063
20213,6793,948
20205,0455,435
20196,4406,881
20182321
201704
201692117
2015188252
2014222
2013312
2012317
2011436
2010798
20091,090
2008708
2007262
2006278

C5 engines and fuel

1.2 litre engines made up 34% of Citroën C5 MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.5 litre at 25%. Petrol accounts for 39% of licensed C5s and diesel for 38%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 26,605 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 1.2 litre34.1%
  • 1.5 litre25.5%
  • 1.6 litre20.3%
  • 2.0 litre17.3%
  • 2.2 litre1.6%

Fuel type, licensed C5s

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol15,05839%
Diesel14,55538%
Plug-in hybrid4,22611%
Hybrid electric4,53612%
Gas6<0.1%

Citroën C5 recalls

33 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Citroën C5. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every C5 is affected.

  1. Jun 2026 R/2026/229

    VSM software Interior door handles

    C5s built Nov 2023 to Nov 2024 · 131 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Affected vehicles may experience an unexpected deactivation of the interior door handles when the key is in engine-running mode which could result in occupants being unable to exit.
    Remedy
    Update the Vehicle Supervision Module software.

  2. Apr 2026 R/2026/162

    MCU inverter

    C5s built Mar 2026 · 1 vehicle across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles the Motor Control Unit (MCU) Inverter may have a manufacturing deviation which could lead to gearbox malfunctions and the risk of an internal electrical short circuit leading to overheating or a fire.
    Remedy
    Replace the MCU Inverter.

  3. Apr 2026 R/2025/543

    VSM software missing AEB telltale in case of blind camera

    C5s built Aug 2023 to Jul 2024 · 101 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On certain Citroen vehicles the Automatic Emergency Braking Assist telltale fails to illuminate if the front camera is blocked. No AEB warning telltale meaning no warning light appears in the instrument cluster. An additional pop-up appears for around 10 seconds at each key on/key off (Driving Assistance Sensor Blind: clean sensor see User Manual). The Automatic Emergency Braking system is operating in a degraded mode but remains functional due to radar support.
    Remedy
    To rectify this issue we will update the Vehicle System Management software

  4. Apr 2026 R/2026/158

    Body Height sensor

    C5s built Jul 2025 · 5 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Affected vehicles may exhibit improper headlamp levelling due to an incorrectly assembled Body Height Sensor.
    Remedy
    Change the body height sensor.

  5. Jan 2026 R/2026/021

    Citroen Cross carline Fuel injection common rail

    C5s built Aug 2025 to Sep 2025 · 6,195 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles a non-conformity issue with the fuel injection common rail may lead to a loosening of the nut and a potential fuel leak.
    Remedy
    Check the fuel injection common rail and if necessary replace the rail and high-pressure fuel pipes.

  6. Sep 2025 R/2025/417

    Citroen C5 Aircross BCM software Stop/Start system

    C5s built Sep 2023 to Apr 2025 · 1,024 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles the engine will run all the time and will not shut off in start/stop mode due to incorrect Body Control Module coding.
    Remedy
    Update the Body Control Module software.

  7. Sep 2025 R/2025/381

    Citroen C5 Aircross Traction Battery

    C5s built Jan 2020 to Feb 2021 · 384 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Affected vehicles may have a fault in the High Voltage Battery which could potentially lead to it overheating and in the worst case a battery or vehicle fire. Customers are advised to stop any plug-in charging and eSave charging until the vehicle is reworked.
    Remedy
    Update the battery management software or replace the High Voltage Battery if necessary.

  8. Aug 2025 R/2025/346

    Emission recall - On Board Diagnostics

    C5s built Jun 2018 to May 2022 · 20,299 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Vehicles may be affected by incorrect performance of the On-Board-Diagnostics related to Selective Catalytic Reduction system and/or Diesel Particle Filter. The Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) may not illuminate in the event of a malfunction and therefore does not comply with emission regulations.
    Remedy
    Update the Engine Control Unit software to ensure compliance to regulations.
How to check a specific C5 for recalls

Other Citroën models

The most-tested Citroën models in 2025, against the C5's 78% MOT pass rate.

All 21 Citroën models

Citroën C5 FAQs

How many Citroën C5s are there in the UK?

38,381 Citroën C5s were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 5,421 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Citroën C5 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 78% first-time pass rate for the Citroën C5 across 26,607 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Citroën C5 had any recalls?

33 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Citroën C5. The most recent was published in June 2026. 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 C5?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, tyres 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 C5'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 C5?

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

Across the 1,389 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 July 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.