66.9%
DS Automobiles DS3 pass rate
Used DS Automobiles DS3 buying guide
In 2025, DS Automobiles DS3 cars passed 66.9% of 36,163 initial MOT tests, 5.4 points below the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.
Looking at a specific DS3? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
DS Automobiles DS3 MOT record in brief
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.
72.3%
UK average, all cars
−5.4
percentage points below average
Ranked on pass rate the DS3 sits 405th of 575 models in the data. DS Automobiles as a brand averaged 68.8%, so this model runs 1.9 points behind its own brand. DS Automobiles DS3 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 80.9% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 6 to 10 years that fell to 63.2%.
A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full DS Automobiles DS3 MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the DS3 compares with similar cars.
DS3 fuel types
Petrol was the most common fuel among DS Automobiles DS3 cars tested in 2025. Diesel still made up 25.2% of tests.
Where the DS3 fails its MOT
Where DS Automobiles DS3 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 coil spring fractured or broken (11%), joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (10.6%) and position lamp not working (5.5%). See every common DS3 MOT failure.
These are DVSA failure records across every DS Automobiles DS3 that failed, not a claim that every DS3 has these problems.
What should you check when buying a used DS3?
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. 23.1% of DS3 failure items.
2
Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters. 18.1% of DS3 failure items.
3
Body, chassis, structure
Look underneath and along the sills for corrosion, and check for damaged or poorly repaired panels. 14.2% of DS3 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. 13.5% of DS3 failure items.
5
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. 12.1% of DS3 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 DS Automobiles DS3 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 DS3 you are looking at. One £15 report, instant results, backed by a £30,000 data guarantee. More on the DS Automobiles history check.
- Outstanding finance
- Write-off records
- Stolen markers
- Mileage history
- Previous keepers
Other used DS Automobiles models
The most-tested DS Automobiles models in 2025, with how their MOT pass rate compares with the DS3.
See all 3 DS Automobiles models ranked by MOT pass rate.
Used DS Automobiles DS3 FAQs
Is the DS Automobiles DS3 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 66.9% first-time pass rate for the DS Automobiles DS3 across 36,163 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.
Do older DS Automobiles DS3 cars fail their MOT more often?
DS Automobiles DS3 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 80.9% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 6 to 10 years that fell to 63.2%. 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 DS Automobiles DS3?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, suspension and body, chassis, structure. 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 DS Automobiles DS3'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.