75.8%
Škoda Octavia
Škoda Octavia MOT pass rate and common problems
The Škoda Octavia passed 75.8% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 3.5 percentage points above the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was coil spring fractured or broken.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the Octavia compares
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded. A car that failed and was repaired at the test station counts as a fail.
76.4%
Škoda average
72.3%
UK average, all cars
The Octavia runs 0.6 points behind the Škoda average. It is 8th of the 12 Škoda models in the data. The average Octavia arrived at its test 10 years old with 101,064 miles recorded.
A pass rate records whether cars met the roadworthiness standard on test day. It is not a reliability score, and part of any gap reflects how old the tested cars were.
Octavia MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
Škoda Octavia cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 86% of MOT tests. For cars aged 11 years and over that fell to 63.6%, a drop of 22.4 percentage points.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years | 36,095 | 86% | 13.7 pts above |
| 6 to 10 years | 88,759 | 80.3% | 8 pts above |
| 11 years and over | 70,233 | 63.6% | 8.7 pts below |
That is a steep decline with age, so the headline rate flatters older examples. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where Octavia failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Škoda Octavia cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Suspension and lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment together account for 47.6% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common Octavia MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Škoda Octavia cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 39.1% of everything testers recorded against failed Škoda Octavia cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a Octavia
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Suspension
Recorded most often: coil spring fractured or broken, shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak, linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt and pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn. 16.8% of failure items.
2
Tyres
Recorded most often: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, condition has ply or cords exposed and condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords. 11.8% of failure items.
3
Brakes
Recorded most often: brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick. 4.1% of failure items.
4
Noise, emissions and leaks
Recorded most often: malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction. 3.3% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific Octavia has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Škoda Octavia buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Škoda Octavia MOT FAQs
What is the Škoda Octavia MOT pass rate?
75.8% of Škoda Octavia cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 201,078 tests. That is 3.5 percentage points above the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 258th of 575 models.
What does a Škoda Octavia most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Škoda Octavia cars failing their 2025 MOT was coil spring fractured or broken, on 6.4% of failure items. Next were tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (4.8%) and brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick (4.1%).
Which area causes the most Škoda Octavia MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was suspension at 25%, followed by lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment at 22.5%.
Do older Škoda Octavia cars fail their MOT more often?
Škoda Octavia cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 86% of MOT tests in 2025, against 63.6% for cars aged 11 years and over.
Does this mean every Škoda Octavia has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Škoda Octavia that failed in 2025. They show where the model most often needs attention, not the condition of any individual car.
How do I see a specific Škoda Octavia's MOT history?
Enter its registration on the free Carpeep MOT history check to see that car's own test results, failures, advisories and recorded mileages.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025: class 4 initial tests, retests excluded, with failure items from failed tests (advisories and minor defects excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.