All generations and engines together · 13,365 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 86k
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. 13,355 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Built from the two sections above.
Same segment (City cars), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.