Vauxhall Corsa UK Reliability Profile — DVSA MOT pass rates

Background

This profile uses DVSA MOT test results for the Vauxhall Corsa in the UK. The findings cover 3,611,820 tests, with age-specific results from 3 years to 29 years old and test-year results from 2020 to 2023.

The broad pattern is straightforward: the Corsa posts a strong pass rate at 3 years, then declines steadily through the core used-car ages. In this dataset, the pass rate is 90.91 at age 3, 77.26 at age 7, and 65.34 at age 12.

That makes this a useful model for looking at how a high-volume small car ages in the MOT system. The test counts are substantial across the main ownership years, including 155,789 tests at age 3, 313,096 at age 7, and 253,666 at age 12.

Overall reliability pattern by age

The age curve is the central story in the data. Early on, the Vauxhall Corsa remains a strong MOT performer, but the pass rate eases down year by year as the vehicle ages and mileage rises.

At age 3, the pass rate stands at 90.91 with a median mileage of 18,904. By age 4, it is 85.75 at 25,516 median miles, and by age 5 it is 84.02 at 33,119. The decline continues through age 6 at 81.21 and age 7 at 77.26.

From there, the Corsa moves into a more difficult middle phase. The pass rate is 72.87 at age 8, 70.04 at age 9, and 68.69 at age 10. By age 11 it is 66.91, and by age 12 it reaches 65.34.

This matters because the dataset is especially deep in these years. There are 316,504 tests at age 8, 294,528 at age 9, 281,113 at age 10, and 267,998 at age 11. These are not thin-sample results; they reflect a very large used-car population.

Age, test volume, and median mileage

The relationship between age, test volume, and mileage helps explain how the Corsa appears in the MOT lane. Test volumes are highest in the middle of the age range, while median mileage climbs steadily into the mid-teen years before easing back among the oldest surviving cars.

Age	Tests	Pass rate	Median mileage
3	155,789	90.91	18,904
7	313,096	77.26	48,250
12	253,666	65.34	77,260
15	157,954	59.38	84,070
20	28,844	55.79	75,126
24	4,220	65.57	65,403
29	243	72.43	60,159

The mileage trend is particularly clear from age 3 to age 15. Median mileage rises from 18,904 at age 3 to 48,250 at age 7, then to 77,260 at age 12 and 84,070 at age 15.

After that, the median mileage begins to soften. It is 83,106 at age 16, 81,313 at age 17, 80,623 at age 18, and 80,049 at age 19. By age 20 it is 75,126, and by age 29 it is 60,159. That pattern suggests the oldest surviving cars in the sample are not the highest-mileage examples.

What happens in the core used-car years

For most buyers and owners, the most relevant part of the curve is from age 6 to age 12. This is where the Corsa is still common on the road, test volumes remain very high, and the pass rate moves from broadly solid to more mixed.

At age 6, the model records 286,981 tests and an 81.21 pass rate. At age 7, there are 313,096 tests and a 77.26 pass rate, with median mileage at 48,250. At age 8, the pass rate is 72.87 across 316,504 tests.

The decline continues at age 9 with 70.04 from 294,528 tests, then age 10 with 68.69 from 281,113 tests. At age 11, the pass rate is 66.91 from 267,998 tests, and at age 12 it is 65.34 from 253,666 tests.

In practical terms, the Corsa remains a high-volume MOT entrant throughout this span, but the pass-rate trend is consistently downward. There is no age in this run where the model reverses course and posts a stronger result than the year before.

Older-car behaviour in the dataset

Beyond age 12, the Corsa continues to show a gradual weakening into the late-teen years. The pass rate is 63.47 at age 13, 61.25 at age 14, 59.38 at age 15, 57.27 at age 16, 55.18 at age 17, and 54.84 at age 18.

At age 19, the pass rate is 54.94, and at age 20 it is 55.79. After that, the figures improve among the oldest cars still appearing for test: 58.38 at age 21, 60.44 at age 22, 63.71 at age 23, 65.57 at age 24, 67.97 at age 25, 67.25 at age 26, 66.51 at age 27, 70.6 at age 28, and 72.43 at age 29.

That late improvement should be read carefully. The test counts are much smaller in these ages: 17,157 at age 21, 10,435 at age 22, 6,169 at age 23, 4,220 at age 24, 2,679 at age 25, 1,609 at age 26, 869 at age 27, 449 at age 28, and 243 at age 29.

So while the oldest surviving Corsas post better pass rates than the late-teen cars, they represent a much narrower slice of the original population. The dataset shows the improvement, but it also shows that the sample becomes much thinner.

Test-year results from 2020 to 2023

The annual results are relatively stable across the most recent test years in the findings. In 2020, the Corsa recorded 281,018 tests with a pass rate of 77.64. In 2021, that moved to 325,403 tests and 78.03.

The strongest annual figure in the set appears in 2022, with 298,228 tests and a pass rate of 79.44. In 2023, the model recorded 272,254 tests with a pass rate of 79.08.

Test year	Tests	Pass rate
2020	281,018	77.64
2021	325,403	78.03
2022	298,228	79.44
2023	272,254	79.08

These year-to-year figures do not show a dramatic shift. Instead, they suggest a fairly narrow band from 77.64 to 79.44 across 2020 to 2023.

How to read the Corsa’s reliability profile

The Corsa’s MOT profile is best understood as a strong early-life performer with a long, steady ageing curve. The headline figures capture that clearly: 90.91 at age 3, 77.26 at age 7, and 65.34 at age 12.

Mileage tracks that deterioration through the main ownership years. Median mileage rises from 18,904 at age 3 to 48,250 at age 7 and 77,260 at age 12. By age 15, median mileage reaches 84,070, which is also where the pass rate has fallen to 59.38.

The oldest cars in the dataset complicate the picture slightly. Their pass rates recover from the late-teen low point, but they do so on much smaller test counts and at lower median mileages than the mid-teen cars. That means the oldest results describe survivors, not the mainstream Corsa fleet.

Limitations

This dataset is about MOT pass rates, not specific fault categories. It shows how often the Vauxhall Corsa passes at each age and in each listed test year, but it does not identify which defects are driving failures.

It also does not separate different Corsa generations, engines, trims, or maintenance histories. The results are aggregated across 3,611,820 tests.

The oldest ages should be treated with caution because the sample size falls sharply. There are 157,954 tests at age 15, but 28,844 at age 20, 4,220 at age 24, and 243 at age 29. The findings still describe those cars, but they describe a much smaller surviving pool.

Frequently asked questions

Q: What is the Vauxhall Corsa MOT pass rate at 3 years old? A: The pass rate at age 3 is 90.91 from 155,789 tests. Median mileage at that age is 18,904.

Q: What is the Corsa pass rate at 7 years old? A: At age 7, the pass rate is 77.26 across 313,096 tests. Median mileage is 48,250.

Q: What is the pass rate at 12 years old? A: At age 12, the Vauxhall Corsa records a 65.34 pass rate from 253,666 tests. Median mileage is 77,260.

Q: How many MOT tests are included in this profile? A: The findings cover 3,611,820 MOT tests. Ages observed run from 3 to 29.

Q: Which test year had the highest pass rate in the data? A: Among 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, the highest listed pass rate is 79.44 in 2022. That year includes 298,228 tests.

Q: Do the oldest Corsas still pass at reasonable rates? A: The listed pass rate is 67.97 at age 25, 70.6 at age 28, and 72.43 at age 29. The corresponding test counts are 2,679, 449, and 243.