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Chevrolet Spark

All generations and engines together · 13,365 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 86k

Reliability verdict
EBy miles

Graded against its peers

One of the worst city cars per mile driven. Watch brakes and suspension. A risky used buy. Check the MOT history for repeating brakes advisories before you go.

First-time failure at 50-60k miles
44.8%
Across 1,791 tests. The average for city cars is 30.1%.
Typical mileage at age 7
86k miles
How far the average car has gone by seven years old. Low-mileage models can look better by age than they are.

What owners report

Reported

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.

Clutch pedal breaking at the pivot

Confirmed pattern

The clutch pedal can snap or come away from its pivot pin, leaving the driver with no clutch and no gear selection, sometimes with no warning. It was serious enough that GM recalled early UK cars (2009-2010) for it, and owners on the UK Chevrolet Owners Club forum still report pedals failing or feeling loose on cars outside that recall window. Repair is a cheap part but a tow-in job if it lets go on the road.

Reported from early ownership onwards · sources: UK recall record (car-recalls.eu), Chevrolet Owners Club UK forum

Bonnet secondary catch corrosion

Confirmed pattern

The secondary bonnet latch can corrode and stick, so it doesn't spring back into place after the bonnet is closed, raising the risk of the bonnet flying up if the primary catch isn't fully engaged. GM's German arm recalled cars for this (2010-2015 build), though Honest John noted it wasn't showing on the UK recall list at the time they wrote it up, so check with a dealer that any outstanding recall work was actually done on a used car.

Affects 2010-2015 UK cars · sources: Honest John review, car-recalls.eu (KBA recall record)

Rear brakes and handbrake sticking or dragging

Partly in the MOT data

Owners report rear brakes or the handbrake mechanism seizing up, usually from corrosion on the cable or a stuck adjuster, which shows up as a car that pulls to one side, poor economy, or a handbrake that won't fully release. This lines up with brakes being the measured MOT weak spot for the Spark: the folklore version is corrosion-led drum and cable seizure rather than simple pad wear, so it's worth checking the rears specifically, not just the discs up front.

More common on cars that sit unused or do short trips · sources: owner forum reports (Chevy Spark Forum, Chevrolet Owners Club UK), cross-referenced against measured MOT brake-fault rate

Notchy, stiff gearchange and gearbox wear

Emerging

A recurring but not officially acknowledged complaint: the 5-speed manual getting harder to select 2nd and 4th, with grinding or whining as it wears, alongside separate clutch judder complaints. UK independent gearbox specialists list it as a common job on the Spark, and it turns up repeatedly on owners club threads, but there's no manufacturer bulletin covering it. Repair ranges from a clutch kit to a full manual gearbox rebuild if synchros have gone.

No fixed mileage pattern reported · sources: ASR Gearbox Repairs (UK), Chevrolet Owners Club UK forum

Air conditioning stops cooling

Disputed

AC that blows warm, cuts out, or needs repeat regassing is a frequent owners club topic, with causes owners argue over ranging from a slow refrigerant leak to a failing compressor or blower motor. It's common enough to be worth testing thoroughly on a warm test drive, but there's no single confirmed cause and results from a regas vary from a lasting fix to failing again within weeks.

Reported at various ages, no clear mileage pattern · sources: Chevrolet Owners Club UK forum (multiple threads), Chevy Spark Forum

What to check on this car

Ranked from this model’s own MOT record, then from what owners report.

Saveable checklist

From this model’s MOT record

The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.

Brake pipes underneathRuns high on this model Follow the metal brake lines with a torch where they run along the sills and over the rear axle. White crust or flaking metal means they are corroding, and the online MOT history usually shows the same advisory creeping up for years before the fail.Recorded on 50.6% of tests at age 10-15 · class average 6.2%
Bushes and ball jointsRuns high on this model Drive slowly over broken tarmac with the windows down and listen for clonks from either end. Back at the car, have someone rock the steering wheel while you rest a hand on each front wheel; play you can feel through the tyre is a worn joint.Recorded on 10.9% of tests at age 10-15 · class average 0.4%
Lights and horn walkroundRuns high on this model With a helper, run every light: dipped, main beam, indicators, brake lights including the high-level one, reverse, fog, and the horn. On newer cars a dead LED section can mean replacing the whole lamp unit rather than a bulb.Recorded on 10.7% of tests at age 10-15 · class average 3.5%
LeaksRuns high on this model Look at the ground where the car usually stands, then glance under the engine after your test drive. Fresh drips of oil or coolant are the cheapest warning you will ever get about a car.Recorded on 9.2% of tests at age 10-15 · class average 4.8%
Underneath, with a torchRuns high on this model Get down and look at the sills, the subframes and the rear suspension mounting points. Flaking scale and bubbling matter; light surface rust does not. On older cars this is the one check that finds the fault that scraps them.Recorded on 8.2% of tests at age 10-15 · class average 4.3%
Coil springsRuns high on this model Look through the wheel spokes at the bottom coil of each spring; when springs snap it is usually there, and the break is visible. Step back and check the car sits level too. A dropped corner is often a broken spring.Recorded on 6.4% of tests at age 10-15 · class average 3.2%
A binding brakeRuns high on this model After the test drive, hold the back of your hand near each wheel hub. One wheel running much hotter than the rest is a sticking caliper. A car that slows itself down when you lift off on a flat road is saying the same thing.Recorded on 6.4% of tests at age 10-15 · class average 1.4%

Worth doing on any used car

These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.

Tyres, all four Check the tread across the full width of each tyre, inner edge included, and look for cracking and mismatched brands. A set of decent tyres is £500 or more on most cars, which makes this the easiest money to take off a price. If the pressure warning light is on, budget for sensors too.Recorded on 23.9% of tests at age 10-15 · class average 20.9%
Pads and discs Look through the wheel spokes at the brake disc. A pronounced lip on its outer edge, or a rusty and scored face, means discs and pads are due all round, a few hundred pounds on most cars. A haggling point rather than a reason to walk away.Recorded on 7.4% of tests at age 10-15 · class average 11.4%
Windscreen and wipersRuns high on this model Scan the glass in daylight for chips, especially in the driver's line of sight where even a small one can fail the MOT. Run the washers and check the wipers clear without smearing.Recorded on 5.3% of tests at age 10-15 · class average 2.0%

Because of what owners report

Drawn from the reports above rather than the MOT data. These are the model-specific ones.

Pump the clutch pedal by hand and check it feels solid, not loose or notchy at the pivot. Play or a spongy feel at the top of the pedal travel is the early sign of the pivot wearing before it snaps.
Open the bonnet and check the secondary catch under the main latch moves freely and isn't rusted solid. A catch that doesn't spring back means the corrosion recall issue hasn't been fixed.
Ask to see any recall paperwork or check the VIN against GM's recall records before buying. No record of the bonnet latch or clutch pedal recall work means those faults may still be live on the car.
With the car on level ground, release the handbrake and try to push the car, then check all four wheels turn freely. A wheel that won't turn, especially a rear one, points to a seized handbrake cable or drum, not just worn pads.
Run through every gear at a standstill and again on the move, including 2nd and 4th. Grinding, baulking, or reluctance to select a gear signals worn synchros, an expensive fix relative to the car's value.
Run the air con on max cold for at least ten minutes on the test drive. Warm air, cycling on and off, or a burning smell means a leak or compressor fault, not just needing a regas.
Check the MOT history for repeated brake advisories rather than just a pass. The same brake advisory two or three years running means the underlying corrosion or wear was never properly sorted.

Open the saveable checklist, tick it off at the car

The MOT data

Measured

Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.

How this model wears

Chevrolet SparkClass average, all tracked models

What testers flag

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.

Faults with the car itself

The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 13,355 tests in this band.

Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
Advisory
50.6%class 6.2%
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
Advisory
21.5%class 9.4%
A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded
Advisory
11.6%class 7.4%
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
Fail
10.7%class 3.5%
Exhaust system leaking or insecure
Advisory
10.6%class 3.1%
Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
Fail
9.8%class 0.8%
Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users
Advisory
9.2%class 4.8%
Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
Fail
7.7%class 1.8%
A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
Fail
6.4%class 3.2%
Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake
Advisory
6.4%class 1.4%

Wear, upkeep and luck

Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
Advisory
27.2%class 23.4%
A tyre seriously damaged
Advisory
17.4%class 9.7%
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
Minor
9.9%class 3.3%
Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured
Advisory
7.4%class 11.4%
Number plate inscription missing or illegible
Advisory
5.8%class 2.3%
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
Fail
5.3%class 2.0%
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
Fail
4.8%class 2.6%
A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
Advisory
4.8%class 7.3%

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