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Nissan Skyline, Buying guide, MOT record and UK numbers

582 Nissan Skylines are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 86.2% of initial MOT tests, 13.9 points above the 72.3% UK average.

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

Nissan Skyline at the MOT

86.2% of 2,035 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Skyline 103rd of 575 models. Nissan Skylines aged 6 to 10 years passed 86.1% of MOT tests in 2025; examples aged 11 years and over held almost level at 86.2%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Nissan Skyline86.2%
  • All Nissan modelsThe Skyline is 18.4 pts ahead67.8%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Nissan Skyline tests in 2025.

  • 6 to 10 years294 tests86.1%
  • 11 years and over1,701 tests86.2%

Where Skylines fail

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

  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment30.5%
  • Noise, emissions and leaks19.2%
  • Suspension13.6%
  • Brakes9.6%
  • Visibility6.1%

The items testers recorded most often were catalyst emissions lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits (4.4%), catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits (3.8%) and rear fog lamp not working (3.5%).

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

Full Nissan Skyline MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The Skyline'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.30.5% of Skyline failure items

  2. 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.19.2% of Skyline failure items

  3. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.13.6% of Skyline failure items

Nissan Skylines in the UK

582 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has fallen 21% since the end of 2014, and 30% from its peak of 828 at the end of 2016.

Change since 2014
−21%from 737 licensed
Declared off the road
1,32369% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Nissan Skylines since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 2014737
End of 2015819
End of 2016828
End of 2017757
End of 2018711
End of 2019668
End of 2020624
End of 2021558
End of 2022526
End of 2023465
End of 2024454
End of 2025475
End of June 2026582

Skyline engine sizes

2.6 litre engines made up 50% of Nissan Skyline MOT tests in 2025, followed by 2.5 litre at 34%. Petrol accounts for 100% of licensed Skylines.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 2,006 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 2.6 litre49.9%
  • 2.5 litre33.9%
  • 2.0 litre6.9%
  • 3.5 litre6.1%
  • 3.7 litre1%

Other Nissan models

The most-tested Nissan models in 2025, against the Skyline's 86.2% MOT pass rate.

All 25 Nissan models

Nissan Skyline FAQs

How many Nissan Skylines are there in the UK?

582 Nissan Skylines were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 1,323 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Nissan Skyline 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 86.2% first-time pass rate for the Nissan Skyline across 2,035 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

What should I check before buying a used Nissan Skyline?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, noise, emissions and leaks and suspension. 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 Skyline'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 Skyline?

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). 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.