All generations and engines together · 16,112 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 52k
Split by first-registration year. Cars registered in a changeover year can belong to either generation.
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. 2,202 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 self-levelling suspension runs on nitrogen-filled spheres and green LHM fluid; the rubber diaphragm inside a sphere hardens with age, and the ride turns hard and jittery or the car sits low and stops self-levelling. Forum reports put failures anywhere from around 40k miles on, with one 2009 car flagged at just 36,000 miles. A dealer can quote over £1,000 to diagnose and swap a sphere or pressure regulator, but independent Citroen specialists and part suppliers do the same job for £300-£400, or less again if you fit your own spheres at roughly £40 each. No recall or TSB covers it, Citroen treats it as a wear item.
HDi diesel C5s that mostly do short runs clog the diesel particulate filter and gum the EGR valve with carbon, showing as a lumpy idle, hesitation under load, or a DPF light and limp mode. It shows up more on higher-mileage cars, often from around 70k onward, and worse on early cars used mainly in town. Clearing a DPF ranges from a cheap forced regen up to £1,500 for a replacement filter; an EGR clean or valve swap usually runs £200-£600. Doesn't apply to the petrol engines.
Early C5s (2001-2007) used the PSA AL4 four-speed auto, which across the wider PSA range is known for clutch-pack wear that shows up as harsh or delayed changes and judder pulling away. Later cars (2008-2016) got the EGS6 automated gearbox, and some owners report it simply refusing to change gear on its own until the car is parked and restarted. Repairs range from a fluid and filter service to an actuator or full rebuild, roughly £300-£1,500. Manual C5s aren't affected.
On 2008-2016 cars, the power steering rack can develop a leak around the pinion input seal, showing up as fluid pooling under the front of the car and heavier or whiny steering at low speed. Honest John's owner reports flag it as an increasingly common complaint from around the car's tenth year on. Citroen dealers have quoted around £1,150 plus labour for a replacement rack; no recall covers it.
On 2008-2016 C5s, the trim around the windscreen can work loose and come off at speed. It was serious enough that a VOSA safety recall covered it in 2009, though cars built after the recall date aren't included, so a later car with the same fault is down to the owner to sort. It's a cheap fix if caught early, more a safety point to check than a big bill.
The measured MOT data for this shape of car flags corrosion as the standout fault, and owner folklore lines up with it, just not where you'd expect. Tyre pressure monitoring valves are reported corroding and dropping out, and older cars turn up MOT advisories for rusted brake pipes and subframe fixings rather than rotten sills or wings. Budget for TPMS valve replacement, around £50-£150 a corner, and check the underside rather than worry about bodywork alone.
Built from the two sections above.
Same segment (Saloons & estates), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.