64.6%
Vauxhall Corsa pass rate
Used Vauxhall Corsa buying guide
In 2025, Vauxhall Corsa cars passed 64.6% of 897,411 initial MOT tests, 7.7 points below the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.
Looking at a specific Corsa? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Vauxhall Corsa MOT record in brief
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.
72.3%
UK average, all cars
−7.7
percentage points below average
Ranked on pass rate the Corsa sits 440th of 575 models in the data. Vauxhall as a brand averaged 65.8%, so this model runs 1.2 points behind its own brand. Vauxhall Corsa cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 83% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 55.6%.
A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full Vauxhall Corsa MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the Corsa compares with similar cars.
Corsa fuel types
Petrol was the most common fuel among Vauxhall Corsa cars tested in 2025. Diesel made up just 6.9% of tests.
Where the Corsa fails its MOT
Where Vauxhall Corsa 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 coil spring fractured or broken (8.3%), track rod end ball joint dust cover excessively damaged or deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (5.4%) and stop lamp not working (4.3%). See every common Corsa MOT failure.
These are DVSA failure records across every Vauxhall Corsa that failed, not a claim that every Corsa has these problems.
What should you check when buying a used Corsa?
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. 25.4% of Corsa failure items.
2
Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters. 20.9% of Corsa 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. 12% of Corsa 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. 10.1% of Corsa 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% of Corsa 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.
Corsa vs similar cars
Head-to-head comparisons on the same 2025 DVSA data.
What the MOT record doesn't tell you
Knowing Vauxhall Corsa 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 Corsa you are looking at. One £15 report, instant results, backed by a £30,000 data guarantee. More on the Vauxhall history check.
- Outstanding finance
- Write-off records
- Stolen markers
- Mileage history
- Previous keepers
Other used Vauxhall models
The most-tested Vauxhall models in 2025, with how their MOT pass rate compares with the Corsa.
Used Vauxhall Corsa FAQs
Is the Vauxhall Corsa 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 64.6% first-time pass rate for the Vauxhall Corsa across 897,411 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.
Do older Vauxhall Corsa cars fail their MOT more often?
Vauxhall Corsa cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 83% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 55.6%. 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 Vauxhall Corsa?
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 Vauxhall Corsa'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.