66.9%
DS Automobiles DS3
DS Automobiles DS3 MOT pass rate and common problems
The DS Automobiles DS3 passed 66.9% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 5.4 percentage points below the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was coil spring fractured or broken.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the DS3 compares
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded. A car that failed and was repaired at the test station counts as a fail.
68.8%
DS Automobiles average
72.3%
UK average, all cars
The DS3 runs 1.9 points behind the DS Automobiles average. It is 3rd of the 3 DS Automobiles models in the data. The average DS3 arrived at its test 7.8 years old with 53,027 miles recorded.
A pass rate records whether cars met the roadworthiness standard on test day. It is not a reliability score, and part of any gap reflects how old the tested cars were.
DS3 MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
DS Automobiles DS3 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 80.9% of MOT tests. For cars aged 6 to 10 years that fell to 63.2%, a drop of 17.7 percentage points.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years | 5,597 | 80.9% | 8.6 pts above |
| 6 to 10 years | 29,107 | 63.2% | 9.1 pts below |
| 11 years and over (small sample) | 8 | 62.5% | 9.8 pts below |
That is a steep decline with age, so the headline rate flatters older examples. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where DS3 failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on DS Automobiles DS3 cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and suspension together account for 41.2% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common DS3 MOT failures
Specific items recorded on DS Automobiles DS3 cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 52.8% of everything testers recorded against failed DS Automobiles DS3 cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a DS3
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Recorded most often: position lamp not working, headlamp not working on dipped beam and headlamp aim too low. 12.4% of failure items.
2
Suspension
Recorded most often: coil spring fractured or broken. 11% of failure items.
3
Body, chassis, structure
Recorded most often: joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. 10.6% of failure items.
4
Brakes
Recorded most often: brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick and brake discs significantly and obviously worn. 5.5% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific DS3 has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used DS Automobiles DS3 buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
DS Automobiles DS3 MOT FAQs
What is the DS Automobiles DS3 MOT pass rate?
66.9% of DS Automobiles DS3 cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 36,163 tests. That is 5.4 percentage points below the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 405th of 575 models.
What does a DS Automobiles DS3 most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on DS Automobiles DS3 cars failing their 2025 MOT was coil spring fractured or broken, on 11% of failure items. Next were joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (10.6%) and position lamp not working (5.5%).
Which area causes the most DS Automobiles DS3 MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment at 23.1%, followed by suspension at 18.1%.
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, against 63.2% for cars aged 6 to 10 years.
Does this mean every DS Automobiles DS3 has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every DS Automobiles DS3 that failed in 2025. They show where the model most often needs attention, not the condition of any individual car.
How do I see a specific DS Automobiles DS3's MOT history?
Enter its registration on the free Carpeep MOT history check to see that car's own test results, failures, advisories and recorded mileages.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025: class 4 initial tests, retests excluded, with failure items from failed tests (advisories and minor defects excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.