Used Škoda Roomster buying guide

In 2025, Škoda Roomster cars passed 63.7% of 17,432 initial MOT tests, 8.6 points below the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.

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

Škoda Roomster MOT record in brief

Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.

63.7%

Škoda Roomster pass rate

72.3%

UK average, all cars

−8.6

percentage points below average

Ranked on pass rate the Roomster sits 448th of 575 models in the data. Škoda as a brand averaged 76.4%, so this model runs 12.7 points behind its own brand. Škoda Roomster cars aged 6 to 10 years passed 76.6% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 60.7%.

A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full Škoda Roomster MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the Roomster compares with similar cars.

Roomster fuel types

Petrol was the most common fuel among Škoda Roomster cars tested in 2025. Diesel still made up 36.6% of tests.

Where the Roomster fails its MOT

Where Škoda Roomster cars that failed their 2025 MOT were marked down, as a share of all recorded failure items.

  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment25.9%
  • Suspension21.3%
  • Brakes16.2%
  • Tyres10.7%
  • Body, chassis, structure9.9%
  • Visibility5%

The specific items testers recorded most often were position lamp not working (6%), joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (5.9%) and pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn (5.7%). See every common Roomster MOT failure.

These are DVSA failure records across every Škoda Roomster that failed, not a claim that every Roomster has these problems.

What should you check when buying a used Roomster?

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. 25.9% of Roomster failure items.

2

Suspension

Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters. 21.3% of Roomster 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 Roomster failure items.

4

Tyres

Check tread depth across the full width of every tyre (the legal minimum is 1.6mm), and look for cuts, bulges and uneven wear. 10.7% of Roomster failure items.

5

Body, chassis, structure

Look underneath and along the sills for corrosion, and check for damaged or poorly repaired panels. 9.9% of Roomster 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 Škoda Roomster failures cluster around lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and suspension 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 Roomster you are looking at. One £15 report, instant results, backed by a £30,000 data guarantee. More on the Škoda history check.

  • Outstanding finance
  • Write-off records
  • Stolen markers
  • Mileage history
  • Previous keepers

Used Škoda Roomster FAQs

Is the Škoda Roomster 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 63.7% first-time pass rate for the Škoda Roomster across 17,432 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.

Do older Škoda Roomster cars fail their MOT more often?

Škoda Roomster cars aged 6 to 10 years passed 76.6% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 60.7%. On an older example, the car's own MOT history tells you more than the model average.

What should I check before buying a used Škoda Roomster?

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 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 Škoda Roomster'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.