Nissan Serena, Buying guide, MOT record and recalls
In 2025, the Nissan Serena passed 74.4% of 3,036 initial MOT tests, 2.1 points above the 72.3% UK average.
Looking at a specific Serena? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Nissan Serena at the MOT
74.4% of 3,036 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Serena 275th of 575 models. Nissan Serenas aged 3 to 5 years passed 71.7% of MOT tests in 2025; examples aged 11 years and over held almost level at 71.6%.
First-time pass rate, 2025
Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.
Pass rate by age at test
Nissan Serena tests in 2025.
Where Serenas fail
Share of all failure items recorded on Nissan Serena tests in 2025.
The items testers recorded most often were position lamp not working (6.7%), wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (4.8%) and rear fog lamp not working (4.6%).
The MOT page lists every common Serena MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.
What to look at on a viewing
The Serena's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.
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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.40% of Serena failure items
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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.12.9% of Serena 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.11.7% of Serena failure items
Serena engine sizes
2.0 litre engines made up 92% of Nissan Serena MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.6 litre at 3.7%.
Engine size at MOT, 2025
Share of 3,017 initial MOT tests in 2025.
Nissan Serena recalls
1 DVSA safety recall launched from 1992 to October 2026 names the Nissan Serena. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every Serena is affected.
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Oct 1993 R/1993/055
Possible misapplication of parking brake
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Insufficient clearance between the ratchet internal mechanism and the handbrake lever sideplates may lead to misapplication of the parking brake resulting in the vehicle not being held.
- Remedy
- Recall the affected vehicle for replacement of the original handbrake lever with a revised version.
Other Nissan models
The most-tested Nissan models in 2025, against the Serena's 74.4% MOT pass rate.
Nissan Serena FAQs
Is the Nissan Serena 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 74.4% first-time pass rate for the Nissan Serena across 3,036 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.
Has the Nissan Serena had any recalls?
1 DVSA safety recall launched from 1992 to October 2026 names the Nissan Serena. The most recent was published in October 1993. 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 Serena?
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 Serena'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 Serena?
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. 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.