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Nissan Micra, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

219,346 Nissan Micras are licensed in the UK, the 39th most common model on the road. In 2025 they passed 63.4% of initial MOT tests, 8.9 points below the 72.3% UK average.

Looking at a specific Micra? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

Nissan Micra at the MOT

63.4% of 237,361 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Micra 453rd of 575 models. Nissan Micras aged 3 to 5 years passed 84.3% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 57.2%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Nissan Micra63.4%
  • All Nissan modelsThe Micra is 4.4 pts behind67.8%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Nissan Micra tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years19,779 tests84.3%
  • 6 to 10 years56,971 tests70.6%
  • 11 years and over155,953 tests57.2%

Where Micras fail

Share of all failure items recorded on Nissan Micra tests in 2025.

  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment33.1%
  • Suspension24.3%
  • Brakes10.5%
  • Visibility9.3%
  • Tyres8.4%

The items testers recorded most often were pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn (6.3%), position lamp not working (6%) and wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (5.3%).

The MOT page lists every common Micra MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full Nissan Micra MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The Micra's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks 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.33.1% of Micra failure items

  2. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.24.3% of Micra 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.10.5% of Micra failure items

Nissan Micras in the UK

219,346 were licensed at the end of June 2026, the 3rd most of any Nissan. The number licensed has fallen 49% since the end of 2014.

Change since 2014
−49%from 426,320 licensed
Typical year of first use
2011half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2011 or earlier
First registered in 2025
238against 13,699 in 2015
Declared off the road
40,18015% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Nissan Micras since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 2014426,320
End of 2015402,729
End of 2016380,159
End of 2017358,085
End of 2018336,438
End of 2019316,589
End of 2020297,034
End of 2021281,987
End of 2022271,405
End of 2023256,473
End of 2024240,923
End of 2025225,776
End of June 2026219,346

How old they are

Licensed Nissan Micras by year of first use.

  • Licensed at the end of 2025
  • First registered that year

A further 20,311 were first used before 2004.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
2023474656
20225,5165,919
20216,5356,847
20206,1126,398
20198,3668,796
20189,68510,342
201712,25813,203
201610,52711,318
201512,72613,699
201413,680
201310,996
201210,788
201111,918
201014,293
200913,998
200812,285
200711,031
200613,990
200511,260
20047,505

12,726 Micras first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 93% of the 13,699 first registered that year.

Micra engines and fuel

1.2 litre engines made up 64% of Nissan Micra MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.0 litre at 19%. Petrol accounts for 97% of licensed Micras and diesel for 2.3%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 237,347 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 1.2 litre64.2%
  • 1.0 litre18.5%
  • 0.9 litre6.3%
  • 1.4 litre5.4%
  • 1.5 litre2.4%

Fuel type, licensed Micras

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol212,91297%
Diesel5,1262%
Battery electric1,2970.6%
Hybrid electric1<0.1%
Gas10<0.1%

Nissan Micra recalls

20 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Nissan Micra. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every Micra is affected.

  1. Jun 2023 R/2023/095

    In certain vehicles should the driver s seat be set in the position where it coincides with a design feature in the upper rail it may in certain conditions exceed the stress limits of the rail material

    Micras built Dec 2016 to Oct 2021 · 41,191 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    In certain vehicles should the driver's seat be set in the position where it coincides with a design feature in the upper rail it may in certain conditions exceed the stress limits of the rail material.
    Remedy
    Replace the seat slide rails with countermeasure parts.

  2. Oct 2019 R/2019/349

    The masses applied on the VIN label may be incorrect

    Micras built Jul 2018 to Nov 2018 · 1,985 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Replace VIN label with new.

  3. Sep 2019 R/2019/312

    The passenger air bag may develop a tear during deployment

    Micras built Oct 2016 to Nov 2017 · 12,119 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The passenger airbag may develop a tear during deployment.
    Remedy
    Replace the passenger airbag with new countermeasure parts

  4. Mar 2018 R/2018/084

    Front wheel hub may not be manufactured to correct specification

    Micras built Sep 2017 to Oct 2017 · 14 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The front wheel hub may suffer cracking. Drivers may notice abnormal noise and in extreme cases the hub may fail.
    Remedy
    On affected vehicles check manufacturing date of the wheel hubs and replace if required.

  5. Aug 2017 R/2017/243

    Ignition switch wiring harness insecure

    Micras built May 2016 to Apr 2017 · 1,615 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The ignition switch harness connector of some Nissan Micra (K14 models) equipped with a mechanical key may not be correctly locked in position. As a result the connector may disconnect which in an extreme case could result in engine shut down while driving with no possibility to restart.
    Remedy
    On affected vehicles inspect wiring harness and where necessary rework the ignition switch retaining latch.

  6. Feb 2016 R/2016/008

    Engine may stall and/or fail to restart

    Micras built Jul 2015 to Jan 2016 · 2,010 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The engine ignition coil may not be to the correct specification. The internal electrical components of the coil may short circuit resulting in an engine misfire. In the worst case this short circuit may cause a fuse inside the Power Distribution Module (IPDM) to fail stopping power to the ignition relay. In this condition the engine may stall and prevent the customer from being able to restart the engine.
    Remedy
    Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected and replace the ignition coil with new.

  7. Aug 2015 R/2015/135

    Loss of steering control

    Micras built Jun 2008 to Oct 2008 · 6,973 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The lower pinion needle bearing may have been omitted during manufacture of the steering gear due to insufficient controls in the suppliers manufacturing process. It is possible the pinion may disengage from the steering gear with loss of steering control.
    Remedy
    On affected vehicles inspect and where necessary replace rack.

  8. Aug 2015 R/2015/133

    Engine push start switch may malfunction

    Micras built Jun 2013 to Mar 2015 · 10,248 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected models with a push start ignition switch the switch may remain in the pressed position and not return after switching the engine on. If the vehicle continues to be driven in this condition the emergency engine stop function may operate and cause the engine to unintentionally stop.
    Remedy
    Inspect and where necessary modify the push start switch housing.
How to check a specific Micra for recalls

Other Nissan models

The most-tested Nissan models in 2025, against the Micra's 63.4% MOT pass rate.

All 25 Nissan models

Nissan Micra FAQs

How many Nissan Micras are there in the UK?

219,346 Nissan Micras were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 40,180 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Nissan Micra 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 63.4% first-time pass rate for the Nissan Micra across 237,361 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Nissan Micra had any recalls?

20 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Nissan Micra. The most recent was published in June 2023. 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 Nissan Micra?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, suspension 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 Nissan Micra'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 a Micra?

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 Nissan history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the Nissan 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.