Vauxhall Zafira, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls
146,377 Vauxhall Zafiras are licensed in the UK, the 74th most common model on the road. In 2025 they passed 61.5% of initial MOT tests, 10.8 points below the 72.3% UK average.
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Vauxhall Zafira at the MOT
61.5% of 174,465 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Zafira 474th of 575 models. Vauxhall Zafiras aged 6 to 10 years passed 70.5% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 57.2%.
First-time pass rate, 2025
Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.
Pass rate by age at test
Vauxhall Zafira tests in 2025.
Where Zafiras fail
Share of all failure items recorded on Vauxhall Zafira tests in 2025.
The items testers recorded most often were coil spring fractured or broken (6.4%), malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction (4.7%) and pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn (4.3%).
The MOT page lists every common Zafira MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.
What to look at on a viewing
The Zafira's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.
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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.24.6% of Zafira failure items
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Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.20.8% of Zafira failure items
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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.15.2% of Zafira failure items
Vauxhall Zafiras in the UK
146,377 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has fallen 68% since the end of 2014.
- Change since 2014
- −68%from 454,162 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
- 14against 16,108 in 2015
- Declared off the road
- 34,23419% of those registered, under SORN
Licensed Vauxhall Zafiras since 2014
Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.
Show the figures
| Date | Licensed |
|---|---|
| End of 2014 | 454,162 |
| End of 2015 | 440,941 |
| End of 2016 | 422,458 |
| End of 2017 | 397,781 |
| End of 2018 | 363,548 |
| End of 2019 | 326,382 |
| End of 2020 | 292,795 |
| End of 2021 | 261,789 |
| End of 2022 | 235,049 |
| End of 2023 | 209,076 |
| End of 2024 | 182,629 |
| End of 2025 | 158,515 |
| End of June 2026 | 146,377 |
How old they are
Licensed Vauxhall Zafiras by year of first use.
- Licensed at the end of 2025
- First registered that year
A further 1,461 were first used before 2003.
Show the figures
| First used | Licensed, end 2025 | First registered that year |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 4,603 | 4,916 |
| 2017 | 11,200 | 12,251 |
| 2016 | 10,847 | 12,482 |
| 2015 | 13,422 | 16,108 |
| 2014 | 24,721 | |
| 2013 | 24,021 | |
| 2012 | 13,153 | |
| 2011 | 9,488 | |
| 2010 | 11,610 | |
| 2009 | 6,334 | |
| 2008 | 8,301 | |
| 2007 | 6,910 | |
| 2006 | 4,405 | |
| 2005 | 3,283 | |
| 2004 | 2,468 | |
| 2003 | 1,440 |
13,422 Zafiras first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 83% of the 16,108 first registered that year.
Zafira engines and fuel
1.6 litre engines made up 31% of Vauxhall Zafira MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.8 litre at 19%. Petrol accounts for 66% of licensed Zafiras and diesel for 34%.
Engine size at MOT, 2025
Share of 174,447 initial MOT tests in 2025.
Fuel type, licensed Zafiras
DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.
| Fuel | Licensed | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 96,306 | 66% |
| Diesel | 49,909 | 34% |
| Other fuels | 162 | 0.1% |
Vauxhall Zafira recalls
15 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Vauxhall Zafira. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every Zafira is affected.
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Dec 2025 R/2025/511
Vauxhall cross carline Driver's Airbag - Takata
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.
-
Aug 2019 R/2019/286
The fixed roof luggage carrier rails may become loose
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- The vehicle's fixed roof luggage carrier rails may become loose.
- Remedy
- Check and replace the fixed roof luggage carrier rails if necessary
-
Apr 2019 R/2019/082
Movement of wiring harness connector to fan speed resistor may lead to connector plug terminals becoming heat damaged
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Movement of the wiring harness connector to the fan speed resistor can in rare circumstances lead to electrical stress.
- Remedy
- Replacement the heating & ventilation system wiring harness with a redesigned connector plug and additional mounting points.
-
Feb 2019 R/2019/059
Software issue with hill start assist feature
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- The hill start hold feature exceeds the correct time specification.
- Remedy
- A Software Update to the Electronic Brake Control Module.
-
Oct 2018 R/2018/214
Potential melting and fires within the blower motor regulator
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Zafira B Right Hand Drive (RHD) - Electronic Climate Control (ECC) a small number of incidents of potential melting and fires within the blower motor regulator of the Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) unit of Zafira B RHD vehicles with Electronic Climate Control (ECC). There is a small risk that in rare circumstances melting and fire incidents may occur in the HVAC system
- Remedy
- Vauxhall Authorised Repairers are instructed to Carry out the following rework steps according to the instructions: A Install the water deflector B Replace the blower motor C Replace the heater fan motor regulator D Replace the wiring harness of the HVAC housing.
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Jun 2017 R/2017/158
3RD seat row seats and 2ND seat row shoulder belts may be insecure
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- 3rd row seat retaining bolts and 2nd row seat belt shoulder anchor retaining bolts may not be tightened to the correct specification
- Remedy
- Re-tighten the 2nd rear seat shoulder belt bolts the 3rd row seat bolts and the 3rd row seat shoulder belt buckle bolts to the correct specification.
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Mar 2017 R/2017/027
Front seat side airbag may deploy incorrectly
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- A front seat side air bag may not deploy as intended
- Remedy
- On affected vehicles replace the airbag module assembly
-
Jul 2016 R/2016/138
Possible loss of steering control
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- The thread on the swivel pin of the track rod end might not be to specification. Therefore when the nut was tightened onto the thread the correct clamping force may not have been attained. After high mileage damage might occur and develop. If not attended to there is a possiblility that the component might fail and steering control would be lost.
- Remedy
- Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected and check the thread on the swivel joint of the track rod end. Where it does not conform to specification replace the track rod end.
Zafira 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 Zafira's 61.5% MOT pass rate.
Vauxhall Zafira FAQs
How many Vauxhall Zafiras are there in the UK?
146,377 Vauxhall Zafiras were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 34,234 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.
Is the Vauxhall Zafira 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 61.5% first-time pass rate for the Vauxhall Zafira across 174,465 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.
Has the Vauxhall Zafira had any recalls?
15 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Vauxhall Zafira. The most recent was published in December 2025. 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 Zafira?
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 Zafira'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 a Zafira?
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.