Fault File
All models / All cars / City cars / Skoda Citigo

Skoda Citigo

All generations and engines together · 52,097 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 41k

First-time failure at age 7
18.9%
Across 5,467 tests. The average across all tracked models is 19.5%.
Rank at age 7
134 of 239
1 = lowest failure rate among the models tracked.
Typical mileage at age 7
41k miles
Check the mileage view below; low-mileage models can look better by age than they are.

How this model wears

Skoda CitigoClass average, all tracked models

Known issues

Measured

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

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. 25,609 tests in this band.

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
Advisory
10.4%class 5.9%
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
Fail
3.2%class 0.9%
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
Fail
3.0%class 1.3%
Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake
Advisory
2.1%class 0.7%
A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED
Fail
1.6%class 0.8%
Play in steering rack inner joint(s)
Advisory
1.4%class 1.1%
Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
Advisory
1.4%class 1.9%
Fuel system leaking, or missing or ineffective filler cap
Fail
1.3%class 0.0%
Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake
Fail
1.2%class 0.2%
Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer
Fail
1.1%class 0.2%

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.

A tyre seriously damaged
Advisory
25.8%class 12.7%
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
Advisory
17.3%class 22.9%
Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured
Advisory
8.8%class 10.1%
A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
Advisory
4.8%class 8.7%
Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn
Advisory
4.4%class 3.4%
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
Fail
2.4%class 1.7%
A tyre seriously damaged
Fail
2.0%class 1.8%
The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements
Fail
1.9%class 1.5%

Unconfirmed issues

Reported

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.

Jerky, hesitant ASG automatic gearbox

Automated (ASG) gearbox only

The Citigo's automatic isn't a conventional torque-converter box, it's an automated manual (ASG), and owners regularly report it hunting for gears, hesitating from a standstill, or dropping out of drive as if it's found neutral by itself. Specialist gearbox repairers list gear slippage, delayed engagement and clutch wear as recurring ASG complaints, and forum owners have reported full clutch and actuator replacements running into four figures. Manual cars are not affected.

Reported from a few thousand miles upward · repairs £1,000-2,000 reported by owners · sources: Honest John, BriSkoda, ASR Gearbox Repairs

Rear suspension creak or knock

Partly in the MOT data

A long-running and very repeatedly reported owner complaint: a creak or knock from the rear, usually over bumps or at low speed, that dealers often can't pin down on the first visit. The usual cause is a dry bush at the base of the rear shock absorber, or anti-roll bar bushes losing their grease, not a broken part, and a lubrication fix often cures it. This model's MOT data shows suspension as the standout failure category for cars its size, so the age-related wear owners complain about and the numbers examiners record do line up, even if the actual fix is cheaper than the noise makes it sound.

Reported from under a year old through to 28,000+ miles · sources: BriSkoda (multiple owner threads), Professional Motor Mechanic

Water pooling in the rear footwells

Emerging

Water collecting in the rear footwells, sometimes several inches deep after heavy rain, is a recurring complaint traced almost always to blocked plenum chamber drains at the base of the windscreen rather than a failed door or window seal. It's been reported on cars as young as three years old and is cheap to fix once found, but leaves you drying or replacing sodden carpet and underlay if it goes unnoticed for a while. Skoda hasn't acknowledged it as a design fault.

Reported from around 3 years old · sources: Honest John (Ask HJ), BriSkoda, Reddit r/skoda, Up Owners Club

Panoramic sunroof bonding recall and later seal leaks

Confirmed pattern

Cars built around early-to-mid 2016 were recalled over a bonding fault on the panoramic sunroof panel that could let it rattle loose. Separately, owners have reported the roof's seals deteriorating with age and letting water in, with one reported case needing a full roof replacement costing over £900. Check any recall work was actually carried out, and on cars fitted with the panoramic roof, look for staining around the interior lining.

Recall issued March 2016 · seal failures reported from a few years old · sources: What Car, Honest John

Early clutch wear on manual cars

Emerging

Some manual Citigos have needed a new clutch well before you'd expect, in a few reported cases within the first year or under 15,000 miles, occasionally preceded by a burning smell. It's not universal, plenty of manuals cover 60,000 miles or more without trouble, but specialist gearbox repairers list sticking or spongy clutch pedals as a known complaint on this car. A full clutch replacement is typically £400-£700.

Reported from as little as 5,000 miles in some cases · sources: Honest John, ASR Gearbox Repairs

Viewing one? Ask this

Built from the two sections above.

Drive over a speed bump or rough patch and listen for a creak or knock from the rear. Usually a dry suspension bush, cheap to lubricate, but confirm it's not a worn shock mount before you assume it's harmless.
Lift the rear carpet or mats and check for damp, staining or a musty smell. A sign of blocked scuttle drains letting water into the footwells, worth sorting before it soaks the underlay.
On an automatic (ASG), pull away from a dead stop and let it coast up to a junction. Hesitation, a clunk into gear, or the car briefly feeling like it's in neutral points to ASG clutch or actuator wear.
If it has a panoramic sunroof, check the interior lining around it for water staining and confirm any recall work was done. Missed recall work or perished seals both show up as leaks around the roof lining.
On a manual, dip the clutch a few times on a hill start and sniff for a burning smell. An early sign of clutch wear, worth budgeting a few hundred pounds for if the pedal also feels odd.
Check the service book or invoices for a timing belt change around 3 years or 30,000 miles. No record on an older or higher-mileage car means the belt could be overdue, and it's an expensive engine if it lets go.
Read the full MOT history, not just the pass or fail. The same suspension advisory coming back year after year means it's being ignored, not fixed.

Others in its class

Same segment (City cars), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.