80.3%
Nissan Leaf pass rate
Used Nissan Leaf buying guide
In 2025, Nissan Leaf cars passed 80.3% of 53,146 initial MOT tests, 8 points above the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.
Looking at a specific Leaf? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Nissan Leaf MOT record in brief
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.
72.3%
UK average, all cars
+8
percentage points above average
Ranked on pass rate the Leaf sits 195th of 575 models in the data. Nissan as a brand averaged 67.8%, so this model runs 12.5 points ahead of its own brand. Nissan Leaf cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 87.2% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 59%.
A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full Nissan Leaf MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the Leaf compares with similar cars.
Leaf fuel types
Most Nissan Leaf cars tested in 2025 were electric. Electric cars need an MOT from three years old like any other car, and their tyres, brakes, suspension and lights are tested the same way.
Where the Leaf fails its MOT
Where Nissan Leaf 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 excessively worn (13.7%), wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (8%) and tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (7.3%). See every common Leaf MOT failure.
These are DVSA failure records across every Nissan Leaf that failed, not a claim that every Leaf has these problems.
What should you check when buying a used Leaf?
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. 26.5% of Leaf 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. 24.6% of Leaf 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. 17.1% of Leaf failure items.
4
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. 13% of Leaf failure items.
5
Visibility
Check the windscreen for chips or cracks in the driver's view, and that the wipers and washers clear it properly. 12.6% of Leaf 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 Nissan Leaf failures cluster around suspension and tyres 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 Leaf you are looking at. One £15 report, instant results, backed by a £30,000 data guarantee. More on the Nissan history check.
- Outstanding finance
- Write-off records
- Stolen markers
- Mileage history
- Previous keepers
Other used Nissan models
The most-tested Nissan models in 2025, with how their MOT pass rate compares with the Leaf.
Used Nissan Leaf FAQs
Is the Nissan Leaf 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 an 80.3% first-time pass rate for the Nissan Leaf across 53,146 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.
Do older Nissan Leaf cars fail their MOT more often?
Nissan Leaf cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 87.2% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 59%. 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 Nissan Leaf?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: suspension, tyres 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 Nissan Leaf'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.