Jaguar XK, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls
20,075 Jaguar XKs are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 77.1% of initial MOT tests, 4.8 points above the 72.3% UK average.
Looking at a specific XK? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Jaguar XK at the MOT
77.1% of 22,652 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the XK 237th of 575 models. Jaguar XKs aged 6 to 10 years passed 91.3% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 76.7%.
First-time pass rate, 2025
Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.
Pass rate by age at test
Jaguar XK tests in 2025.
Where XKs fail
Share of all failure items recorded on Jaguar XK tests in 2025.
The items testers recorded most often were ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (11.5%), linkage ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (3.6%) and pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn (3.4%).
The MOT page lists every common XK MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.
What to look at on a viewing
The XK's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.
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Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.30% of XK failure items
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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.16.7% of XK failure items
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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.14.8% of XK failure items
Jaguar XKs in the UK
20,075 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has fallen 27% since the end of 2014.
- Change since 2014
- −27%from 27,351 licensed
- Typical year of first use
- 2006half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2006 or earlier
- First registered in 2025
- 34against 208 in 2015
- Declared off the road
- 8,65230% of those registered, under SORN
Licensed Jaguar XKs since 2014
Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.
Show the figures
| Date | Licensed |
|---|---|
| End of 2014 | 27,351 |
| End of 2015 | 27,015 |
| End of 2016 | 26,165 |
| End of 2017 | 25,106 |
| End of 2018 | 23,904 |
| End of 2019 | 23,144 |
| End of 2020 | 21,655 |
| End of 2021 | 21,258 |
| End of 2022 | 20,271 |
| End of 2023 | 19,129 |
| End of 2024 | 18,007 |
| End of 2025 | 17,427 |
| End of June 2026 | 20,075 |
How old they are
Licensed Jaguar XKs by year of first use.
- Licensed at the end of 2025
- First registered that year
A further 665 were first used before 1996.
Show the figures
| First used | Licensed, end 2025 | First registered that year |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 87 | 208 |
| 2014 | 911 | |
| 2013 | 673 | |
| 2012 | 697 | |
| 2011 | 927 | |
| 2010 | 1,084 | |
| 2009 | 921 | |
| 2008 | 1,099 | |
| 2007 | 1,702 | |
| 2006 | 1,569 | |
| 2005 | 723 | |
| 2004 | 663 | |
| 2003 | 674 | |
| 2002 | 658 | |
| 2001 | 770 | |
| 2000 | 597 | |
| 1999 | 550 | |
| 1998 | 715 | |
| 1997 | 642 | |
| 1996 | 172 |
XK engine sizes
4.2 litre engines made up 45% of Jaguar XK MOT tests in 2025, followed by 4.0 litre at 27%. Petrol accounts for 100% of licensed XKs.
Engine size at MOT, 2025
Share of 22,647 initial MOT tests in 2025.
Jaguar XK recalls
8 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Jaguar XK. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every XK is affected.
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Jan 2015 R/2015/015
Parking lights may not function as intended
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Front side lights when used as parking lights should remain illuminated until the battery is exhausted. On affected vehicles they may extinguish after a period of time.
- Remedy
- Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected and update the software.
-
Apr 2014 R/2014/041
Directional control may be compromised
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- A concern has been identified where in the event of prolonged aggressive driving it is possible that the rear toe link will separate from the rear sub-frame. In this event vehicle stability will be compromised and degree of directional control minimised which increases the risk of an accident.
- Remedy
- Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected and replace the nut and washer assembly on the rear toe link with components of revised design.
-
Jun 2011 R/2011/025
Power assistance may be lost - fire risk
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- The corrosion protection on certain power steering pipes may not be to specification. This could result in pin holes being formed which can leak power steering fluid. Should the power steering fluid contact hot surfaces there is a possibility that fire could occur.
- Remedy
- Recalled vehicles will have the affected power assisted steering fluid pipes replaced.
-
Aug 2010 R/2010/103
Engine may cut out
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- The engine may cut out due to insufficient fuel being supplied. The fuel pump relay may not be energised following an engine start up cycle in which case the in-tank fuel pump will deliver insufficient fuel for the engine to run correctly.
- Remedy
- Recalled vehicles will be re-programmed with revised software to ensure that when the engine is running the in-tank fuel pump relay remains energised.
-
Jul 2008 R/2008/078
Driver seat side airbag may not deploy correctly
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- It has been identified that on the subject vehicles the side airbags are not defined as passenger and driver but as left and right hand. This has resulted in all vehicles being configured as left hand drive and therefore the system believes the right hand front seat to be the passenger seat. This can result in the driver's side airbag failing to deploy when required due to the system believing that the driver's seat is unoccupied.
- Remedy
- Recalled vehicles will have the control module on all right hand drive vehicles re-configured.
-
Mar 2004 R/2004/003
Auto gearbox may engage reverse when in forward drive
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- (a) In conditions of low oil pressure or a sticking valve in the gearbox with the vehicle stationary in Drive the gearbox will without warning or indication select Reverse. (b) With the vehicle moving forward in 1st 2nd or 3rd gear reverse may be selected without any manual input in the event of a loss of oil pressure in the transmission.
- Remedy
- Reprogramme the gearbox gear selector module.
-
Jun 1999 R/1999/044
Possibility that gearbox may lock up
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Possibility that the automatic transmission may lock up at speeds below 15mph.
- Remedy
- Recall affected vehicles and fit a new quality assured automatic gearbox.
-
Apr 1997 R/1997/019
Possible disengagement of diff output shaft
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Resulting from a low incidence process concern at a supplier it has been found that the differential output shaft retaining rings on the rear suspension of a small number of XK8's may under extreme driving conditions become displaced. This can ca
- Remedy
- The subject vehicles are being recalled to Jaguar dealers to have the installation of the retaining rings inspected. Where the installation does not conform to the manufacturers specification the rings will be replaced with quality assured examples.
Other Jaguar models
The most-tested Jaguar models in 2025, against the XK's 77.1% MOT pass rate.
Jaguar XK FAQs
How many Jaguar XKs are there in the UK?
20,075 Jaguar XKs were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 8,652 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.
Is the Jaguar XK 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 77.1% first-time pass rate for the Jaguar XK across 22,652 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.
Has the Jaguar XK had any recalls?
8 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Jaguar XK. The most recent was published in January 2015. 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 Jaguar XK?
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 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 Jaguar XK'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 an XK?
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 Jaguar history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the Jaguar 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.