All generations and engines together · 4,162 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 17k
Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.
Share of tests where each item was recorded. The dark tick is the class average across all tracked models; bars are scaled within each group.
The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 1,613 tests in this band.
Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.
Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.
Pre-2018 Vantages with the single-clutch 7-speed Sportshift box (no torque converter) can drive-line hunt, clonk and lurch in 1st to 3rd gear around 1,500-1,800rpm, especially pulling away or crawling in traffic. It is a characteristic of the actuator and clutch control software rather than a single broken part. Aston Martin has acknowledged the trait to owners but there is no factory fix, so budget for a specialist clutch/actuator inspection rather than expecting it to be cured under warranty.
A minority of naturally-aspirated V8/V12 Vantages have needed a full engine replacement well inside normal life, in one documented case at 18,800 miles on a 2014 car, with the dealer unable to pin down a cause and the manufacturer declining to cover the roughly £17,000 bill. It is not common enough to call a pattern fault, but it is serious enough that Honest John's own summary flags it as a risk even at sub-20,000-mile odometer readings. A full main-dealer or marque-specialist service history and a recent inspection are the only real protection.
Separate from the Sportshift software quirks, the physical clutch itself has been reported worn out or failed as early as 11,000 miles on some cars, with a roughly £3,000 replacement bill (Aston Martin contributed part of the cost on a goodwill basis in at least one case). Buyers should check biting point, listen for slip under hard acceleration, and ask when the clutch was last replaced, since it is a wear item that is not covered once the car is out of warranty.
Early cars are prone to paint blistering around the door handle recesses, the rear parking sensor and the bonnet, which owners read as corrosion breaking through from underneath. Aston Martin has disputed that it is penetrating corrosion and historically offered only a partial (around 40%) contribution to repaint costs rather than a full warranty fix, which is why it stays a disputed rather than confirmed item. Worth a close paint-depth check on any pre-2018 car with visible bubbling in these spots.
A scatter of niggling faults recur in owner reports on pre-2018 cars: air-con compressor failure from very low mileage, sat-nav and Bluetooth pairing dropouts, tyre-pressure sensor faults, a sticking parking brake and water finding its way into the boot. None is a single dominant fault, but together they add up to an out-of-warranty car that can nickel-and-dime an owner on electrics and trim, so a full function check of every system at a viewing is worth the time.
The current AMG-engined Vantage (2018 on) is criticised less for mechanical faults and more for a media system that reviewers and owners call unintuitive, with no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto and an interior layout that trails rivals like the Porsche 911 and Audi R8 for everyday usability. Not a reliability fault as such, but a real annoyance for buyers used to modern phone integration, and something to check works properly on a used example rather than assume.
Built from the two sections above.
Same segment (Coupés, convertibles & GT), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.