All generations and engines together · 72,610 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 67k
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. 46,742 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 across all three generations report the Jatco CVT (badged Xtronic on later cars) hesitating, jerking or overheating under load, sometimes ending in full transmission failure. One owner on a 2016 car quoted £8,000 for a replacement box, and Nissan dealers have refused goodwill contributions where service history was incomplete. There's no recall or acknowledged design fault, just a long paper trail of owner complaints going back to the early 2000s cars.
The 1.6-litre diesel (2014-2017 T32 cars) has a history of timing chain and tensioner rattle, in a couple of documented cases failing as early as 32,000-35,500 miles. Symptoms are a rattly cold start that doesn't clear, sometimes with a warning light. Nissan has covered some repairs on goodwill but only partially, so budget £1,000-plus if you're out of warranty and it's not a full contribution.
Diesel X-Trails (1.6, 2.0 and 2.2 dCi across T31 and T32) get two related headaches: turbo failure, most often reported on the 2.0/2.2 dCi around 100,000-150,000 miles, and DPF blockages on cars used mainly for short urban runs. A forced regeneration at a garage runs about £300; a turbo replacement is closer to £1,000-£2,000 and has sometimes taken out the engine with it when it let go catastrophically.
Manual petrol cars (2016-2018, 1.6 DIG-T) have a run of reports of the clutch failing very early, in some cases by 5,000-13,000 miles, well before normal wear would explain it. A full clutch and dual-mass flywheel replacement runs £1,500-£1,900, and owners say independent clutch specialists tend to do a better job than main dealers on this one. Doesn't apply to CVT automatics or the diesel engines.
A recurring owner complaint: knocking or creaking from the back end, usually traced to worn anti-roll bar bushes or perished control arm rubbers, and cheap enough to fix once diagnosed. The measured MOT fault data backs this up from a different angle: suspension is the standout defect category for this class of large SUV, and X-Trail warranty claims data shows suspension work as one of the most common repair categories on the car. The noise owners describe and the wear showing up in the data point at the same area.
Sat nav, radio and Bluetooth randomly cutting out or rebooting is a known gripe, worst on 2014-2015 cars, and dealers have sometimes needed 10-12 days to sort it with no guarantee it stays fixed. It's a disputed one because plenty of owners never see it, some report the fault clearing itself after months with no repair, and a soft reset (holding down Music, Nav and volume together) works for some but not others.
Built from the two sections above.
Same segment (Family & large SUVs), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.