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Vauxhall Astra, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

538,919 Vauxhall Astras are licensed in the UK, the 8th most common model on the road. In 2025 they passed 65.8% of initial MOT tests, 6.5 points below the 72.3% UK average.

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Vauxhall Astra at the MOT

65.8% of 584,206 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Astra 416th of 575 models. Vauxhall Astras aged 3 to 5 years passed 84.9% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 59.7%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Vauxhall Astra65.8%
  • All Vauxhall modelsLevel with the Astra65.8%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Vauxhall Astra tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years26,343 tests84.9%
  • 6 to 10 years211,757 tests73.1%
  • 11 years and over343,499 tests59.7%

Where Astras fail

Share of all failure items recorded on Vauxhall Astra tests in 2025.

  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment23.6%
  • Suspension20.3%
  • Brakes17.5%
  • Tyres13.1%
  • Noise, emissions and leaks8.4%

The items testers recorded most often were coil spring fractured or broken (7.8%), tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (4.1%) and brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick (4%).

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

Full Vauxhall Astra MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The Astra'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.23.6% of Astra failure items

  2. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.20.3% of Astra 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.17.5% of Astra failure items

Vauxhall Astras in the UK

538,919 were licensed at the end of June 2026, the 2nd most of any Vauxhall. The number licensed has fallen 54% since the end of 2014.

Change since 2014
−54%from 1,163,683 licensed
Typical year of first use
2013half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2013 or earlier
First registered in 2025
3,749against 60,983 in 2016
Declared off the road
111,58317% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Vauxhall Astras since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 20141,163,683
End of 20151,123,521
End of 20161,098,651
End of 20171,052,043
End of 2018994,706
End of 2019931,063
End of 2020859,557
End of 2021795,553
End of 2022737,304
End of 2023684,396
End of 2024629,169
End of 2025570,290
End of June 2026538,919

How old they are

Licensed Vauxhall Astras by year of first use.

  • Licensed at the end of 2025
  • First registered that year

A further 28,844 were first used before 2006.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
20253,2803,749
20248,97910,144
20238,9959,386
20222,7993,079
20215,6466,201
20206,0016,695
201920,71922,721
201827,97930,699
201744,38149,482
201653,58460,983
201544,42152,827
201448,217
201351,735
201243,480
201136,241
201037,272
200927,388
200825,869
200724,613
200614,713

44,421 Astras first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 84% of the 52,827 first registered that year.

Astra engines and fuel

1.6 litre engines made up 36% of Vauxhall Astra MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.4 litre at 30%. Petrol accounts for 70% of licensed Astras and diesel for 30%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 584,145 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 1.6 litre36.3%
  • 1.4 litre30.4%
  • 2.0 litre9.6%
  • 1.7 litre8.9%
  • 1.8 litre6.3%

Fuel type, licensed Astras

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol374,96870%
Diesel159,50230%
Battery electric2,0320.4%
Plug-in hybrid1,7390.3%
Hybrid electric5000.1%
Gas178<0.1%

Vauxhall Astra recalls

38 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Vauxhall Astra. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every Astra is affected.

  1. Oct 2026 R/2026/404

    Vauxhall cross carline Driver's Airbag - Takata

    Astras built Jan 2005 to Jun 2014 · 323,375 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles the chemicals in the Takata airbags may deteriorate over time which may cause the inflator to rupture and lead to serious injury.
    Remedy
    Owners of affected vehicles should immediately cease using their vehicle when safe to do so until the recall action has been completed. Affected vehicles will have the airbag modules replaced.

  2. Sep 2026 R/2026/169

    Astra L - VSM software- SLI performance

    Astras built Sep 2025 to Dec 2025 · 269 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Affected vehicles may have Vehicle Supervision Module (VSM) software that displays incorrect speed-limit indications resulting in non-compliance with applicable regulatory requirements.
    Remedy
    Update the VSM software and update the In-Vehicle-Infotainment software via Over-The-Air at the dealer if necessary.

  3. Jun 2026 R/2026/227

    VSM software Interior door handles

    Astras built Jul 2023 to Feb 2025 · 24,451 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Affected vehicles may experience an unexpected deactivation of the interior door handles when the key is in engine-running mode which could result in occupants being unable to exit.
    Remedy
    Update the Vehicle Supervision Module software.

  4. Jun 2026 R/2026/196

    Risk of wrong fuel pipe routing

    Astras built Oct 2025 to Jan 2026 · 49 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Affected vehicles may have an incorrectly routed fuel pipe at risk of contact with other components which could lead to a fuel leak or risk of fire.
    Remedy
    Check the correct routing of the fuel pipe and replace if necessary.

  5. Apr 2026 R/2025/544

    VSM software missing AEB telltale in case of blind camera

    Astras built Jan 2023 to Apr 2025 · 3,270 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On certain Vauxhall Astra L vehicles the Automatic Emergency Braking Assist telltale fails to illuminate if the front camera is blocked. No AEB warning telltale meaning no warning light appears in the instrument cluster. An additional pop-up appears for around 10 seconds at each key on/key off (Driving Assistance Sensor Blind: clean sensor see User Manual). The Automatic Emergency Braking system is operating in a degraded mode but remains functional due to radar support.
    Remedy
    To rectify this issue we will update the Vehicle System Management software

  6. Dec 2025 R/2025/511

    Vauxhall cross carline Driver's Airbag - Takata

    Astras built Jan 2005 to Aug 2018 · 949,336 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles the chemicals in the Takata airbag inflators may deteriorate over time. This may cause the inflators to rupture with too much force in a crash leading to serious injury or death in a worst-case scenario.
    Remedy
    Replace the driver airbag module.

  7. Jul 2025 R/2025/282

    Vauxhall Fuel Pipe

    Astras built Jan 2024 to Apr 2025 · 32,657 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles there may be loose connections between a high-pressure fuel pipe and the engine fuel rail which potentially could lead to a leak and risk of fire.
    Remedy
    Retighten the affected connections.

  8. Jul 2025 R/2025/245

    Vauxhall DV5R Engines Camshaft Chain

    Astras built Jul 2021 to Jan 2023 · 49,060 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Vehicles may be affected by premature wearing of the camshaft drive chain leading to abnormal noise or to a breakage of the chain in the worst case.
    Remedy
    Update the software to improve oil pressure and reduce wear. Check the engine noise and replace the chain if required. If no problem found change the oil to one with higher viscosity and special anti-wear additives.
How to check a specific Astra for recalls

Astra vs similar cars

Head-to-head comparisons on the same 2025 DVSA data.

Other Vauxhall models

The most-tested Vauxhall models in 2025, against the Astra's 65.8% MOT pass rate.

All 20 Vauxhall models

Vauxhall Astra FAQs

How many Vauxhall Astras are there in the UK?

538,919 Vauxhall Astras were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 111,583 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Vauxhall Astra 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 65.8% first-time pass rate for the Vauxhall Astra across 584,206 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Vauxhall Astra had any recalls?

38 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Vauxhall Astra. The most recent was published in October 2026. 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 Vauxhall Astra?

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 Vauxhall Astra'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 an Astra?

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 Vauxhall history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the Vauxhall 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). 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.