62.1%
Rover 25 pass rate
Used Rover 25 buying guide
In 2025, Rover 25 cars passed 62.1% of 2,453 initial MOT tests, 10.3 points below the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.
Looking at a specific 25? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Rover 25 MOT record in brief
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.
72.3%
UK average, all cars
−10.3
percentage points below average
Ranked on pass rate the 25 sits 470th of 575 models in the data. Rover as a brand averaged 67.1%, so this model runs 5.1 points behind its own brand.
A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full Rover 25 MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the 25 compares with similar cars.
25 fuel types
Petrol was the most common fuel among Rover 25 cars tested in 2025. Diesel made up just 6.2% of tests.
Where the 25 fails its MOT
Where Rover 25 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 joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (10.6%), component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength (7.5%) and wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (6.2%). See every common 25 MOT failure.
These are DVSA failure records across every Rover 25 that failed, not a claim that every 25 has these problems.
What should you check when buying a used 25?
The areas above, most common first, and what an MOT tester looks at 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. 24.1% of 25 failure items.
2
Body, chassis, structure
Look underneath and along the sills for corrosion, and check for damaged or poorly repaired panels. 18.9% of 25 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. 16.2% of 25 failure items.
4
Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters. 11.8% of 25 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. 9.2% of 25 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 Rover 25 failures cluster around lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and body, chassis, structure 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 25 you are looking at. One £15 report, instant results, backed by a £30,000 data guarantee. More on the Rover history check.
- Outstanding finance
- Write-off records
- Stolen markers
- Mileage history
- Previous keepers
Other used Rover models
The most-tested Rover models in 2025, with how their MOT pass rate compares with the 25.
Used Rover 25 FAQs
Is the Rover 25 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 62.1% first-time pass rate for the Rover 25 across 2,453 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.
What should I check before buying a used Rover 25?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, body, chassis, structure 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 Rover 25'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.