75.9%
Jaguar XJ pass rate
Used Jaguar XJ buying guide
In 2025, Jaguar XJ cars passed 75.9% of 24,281 initial MOT tests, 3.6 points above the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.
Looking at a specific XJ? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Jaguar XJ MOT record in brief
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.
72.3%
UK average, all cars
+3.6
percentage points above average
Ranked on pass rate the XJ sits 255th of 575 models in the data. Jaguar as a brand averaged 79.4%, so this model runs 3.5 points behind its own brand. Jaguar XJ cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 93.1% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 73.5%.
A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full Jaguar XJ MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the XJ compares with similar cars.
XJ fuel types
Petrol was the most common fuel among Jaguar XJ cars tested in 2025. Diesel still made up 47.9% of tests.
Where the XJ fails its MOT
Where Jaguar XJ 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 ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (8.4%), pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn (5.1%) and track rod end ball joint dust cover excessively damaged or deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (3.6%). See every common XJ MOT failure.
These are DVSA failure records across every Jaguar XJ that failed, not a claim that every XJ has these problems.
What should you check when buying a used XJ?
The areas above, most common first, and what an MOT tester looks at in each.
1
Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters. 28.7% of XJ failure items.
2
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. 15.7% of XJ 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. 14.5% of XJ 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. 10.6% of XJ failure items.
5
Noise, emissions and leaks
Listen for a blowing exhaust, watch for smoke on start-up and look under the car for oil or fluid leaks. 7.7% of XJ 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 Jaguar XJ failures cluster around suspension and lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 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 XJ you are looking at. One £15 report, instant results, backed by a £30,000 data guarantee. More on the Jaguar history check.
- Outstanding finance
- Write-off records
- Stolen markers
- Mileage history
- Previous keepers
Other used Jaguar models
The most-tested Jaguar models in 2025, with how their MOT pass rate compares with the XJ.
Used Jaguar XJ FAQs
Is the Jaguar XJ 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 75.9% first-time pass rate for the Jaguar XJ across 24,281 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.
Do older Jaguar XJ cars fail their MOT more often?
Jaguar XJ cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 93.1% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 73.5%. 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 Jaguar XJ?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: suspension, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 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 Jaguar XJ'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.