All generations and engines together · 2,038 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 181k
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. 2,036 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.
Owners repeatedly report a slipping or soft clutch pedal on the HDi diesels, sometimes needing replacement under warranty on cars barely run in. Some 1.6 and 2.0 HDi cars have also needed the dual-mass flywheel and hydraulic clutch actuator replaced together, with actuator failures reported around 70,000 miles doing further damage if ignored. A full clutch and DMF job runs roughly £700-£1,200 depending on what else has to come out with it.
The 1.6 HDi (shared PSA engine, also in Peugeots, Fords and Volvos of the era) is known for carbon building up in the oil circuit and blocking the small strainer filter that feeds the turbo, starving it of lubrication. Fitting a new turbo without flushing the whole oil circuit just kills the replacement too. It tends to show up from around 90-100k miles as whining, smoke or a warning light, and a proper fix (turbo plus oil pipe and cooler) is £700-£1,500+.
Water getting into the underbonnet fuse box connectors corrodes the multipin terminals feeding the ECU, causing intermittent warning lights, central locking that stops working, dashboard glitches and, in bad cases, a dead ECU that needs replacing. It is described as a design weak point on cars from the early-to-mid 2000s rather than a one-off. Repairs range from a clean and reseal of the connectors up to £150-£800 for sensor or ECU replacement if it has been left to corrode.
This is a cambelt engine, not chain, and owners report cases of the belt or its rubber-cushioned tensioner pulley letting go, which bends valves. On the 2.0 HDi the pulley itself is known to need replacing alongside the belt, not just inspecting, at the recommended 60-70k mile interval. Routine replacement is £400-£700; if it snaps and takes the engine with it, budget £1,500-£3,000+.
A recurring but inconsistent complaint: air con blowing weak or warm, or heating that comes and goes, usually down to a refrigerant leak or a failing compressor rather than anything electrical. Some owners get years of trouble-free use, others report repeat visits to sort it, which is why it is a judgement call rather than a universal fault. Regassing or a minor repair is £60-£200, a compressor is more like £400-£800.
This model's measured MOT weak spot is seatbelts and airbags, and there is a real owner-level version of it: a loose or corroded plug at the seatbelt pretensioner (commonly the passenger side) trips a permanent airbag or seatbelt warning light, sometimes clearing itself if you unplug and reseat the connector, sometimes not. It is a connector problem rather than the pretensioner itself failing, but the dash light and the fault code both point at the restraint system, which is exactly what shows up as an MOT advisory or fail on this model. A garage diagnosis and connector repair is typically £50-£150; if the pretensioner unit itself is found faulty it is more like £150-£400 per seat.
Built from the two sections above.
Same segment (Family hatchbacks), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.