All generations and engines together · 5,728 MOT tests in the 2025 data
One of the worst superminis per mile driven. Watch emissions/leaks and suspension. A risky used buy. Check the MOT history for repeating emissions/leaks advisories before you go.
Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press, with how well each report stands up. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.
The 1.3 CDTI diesel (a Fiat-derived engine shared across several small GM cars) struggles to regenerate its particulate filter if it's mainly driven on short, low-speed urban journeys, leading to warning lights, limp mode and soot build-up. This lines up with the measured MOT signature for this class: emissions and leaks are the standout failure mode for superminis generally, and owners of town-only Aveo diesels report exactly that pattern turning up as an MOT emissions fail or an advisory that keeps recurring. A forced regen or filter clean runs to a few hundred pounds; a replacement DPF is more, though few bother at this car's value.
The 4-speed Hydra-Matic (T250) and later automatics fitted to the Aveo are widely described as sapping performance and hunting for gears, making the car feel slower and thirstier than the manual. Honest John's road test flagged the auto as frustrating rather than broken, and a reader question on the same site specifically asked whether the automatic could be trusted long-term, a sign buyers are wary of it. It isn't a documented failure pattern so much as a weak, unrefined unit, worth a proper test drive before buying.
Owners running Aveos past 8-10 years old report a cluster of ageing-car faults arriving together: rough running traced to a coil pack or misfire, plus trim items like boot latches and fuel filler covers failing. One Honest John forum owner described a near-£700 MOT on top of a misfire diagnosis and ended up giving up on the car, and posters on the thread called these "disposable cars" once they pass the point where parts and labour cost more than the car is worth. Not a single named fault so much as the car reaching end-of-economic-life around 100k miles or 10+ years.
The 1.2/1.4 S-TEC II petrol engines use a timing chain rather than a belt, which owners often assume is maintenance-free, but tensioner wear and chain rattle at start-up are reported often enough that replacement tensioners are stocked for every Aveo generation (T250 through T300). Opinion is split: some owners say it never gives trouble over 100k+ miles, others report a rattly cold start needing a tensioner or chain kit in the £200-400 range. Worth listening for on a cold start rather than treating as inevitable.
Older Aveos (T250-era) were subject to manufacturer recalls covering a driver airbag inflator that can deteriorate over time, a fuel pump seal that could leak in a rollover, and a fault where the engine could keep running briefly after the key was removed from the ignition barrel. These are genuine manufacturer-acknowledged defects with free recall repairs, not owner folklore, so check the car's recall status against its VIN if buying an early example that hasn't had the work done.
Ranked from this model’s own MOT record, then from what owners report.
Saveable checklistThe physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
Drawn from the reports above rather than the MOT data. These are the model-specific ones.
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. 5,728 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.
Same segment (Superminis), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.