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

Reliability verdict
CBy age
ABy miles

Graded against its peers

Middling for its age among city cars, but one of the best per mile driven. Watch suspension and brakes. One to judge on its mileage rather than its age, and worth it only if its MOT history has no repeating suspension advisories.

First-time failure at age 7
18.9%
Across 5,467 tests. The average for city cars is 20.2%.
First-time failure at 50-60k miles
22.7%
Across 6,819 tests. The average for city cars is 30.1%.
Rank in its class
11 of 18
1 = lowest failure rate among the 18 city cars we can rank.
Typical mileage at age 7
41k miles
How far the average car has gone by seven years old. Low-mileage models can look better by age than they are.

What owners report

Reported

Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press, with how well each report stands up. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.

Jerky, hesitant ASG automatic gearbox

EmergingAutomated (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

What to check on this car

Ranked from this model’s own MOT record, then from what owners report.

Saveable checklist

From this model’s MOT record

The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.

Bushes and ball jointsRuns high on this model Drive slowly over broken tarmac with the windows down and listen for clonks from either end. Back at the car, have someone rock the steering wheel while you rest a hand on each front wheel; play you can feel through the tyre is a worn joint.Recorded on 10.4% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 5.9%
Lights and horn walkroundRuns high on this model With a helper, run every light: dipped, main beam, indicators, brake lights including the high-level one, reverse, fog, and the horn. On newer cars a dead LED section can mean replacing the whole lamp unit rather than a bulb.Recorded on 3.0% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 1.3%
A binding brakeRuns high on this model After the test drive, hold the back of your hand near each wheel hub. One wheel running much hotter than the rest is a sticking caliper. A car that slows itself down when you lift off on a flat road is saying the same thing.Recorded on 2.1% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.7%
LeaksRuns high on this model Look at the ground where the car usually stands, then glance under the engine after your test drive. Fresh drips of oil or coolant are the cheapest warning you will ever get about a car.Recorded on 1.3% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.0%
Cold start and smokeRuns high on this model Ask the seller not to warm the car up before you arrive, then watch the tailpipe at start-up and again under hard acceleration. Any visible smoke is a negotiation at best. A diesel that has lived on short trips may also be carrying a tired particulate filter.Recorded on 1.1% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.2%
Steering play With the engine running and the car parked, waggle the wheel lightly about the straight-ahead. The wheels should respond almost at once. A dead zone before anything happens means wear in the rack or the track rod ends.Recorded on 1.4% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 1.1%
Brake pipes underneath Follow the metal brake lines with a torch where they run along the sills and over the rear axle. White crust or flaking metal means they are corroding, and the online MOT history usually shows the same advisory creeping up for years before the fail.Recorded on 1.4% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 1.9%

Worth doing on any used car

These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.

Tyres, all fourRuns high on this model Check the tread across the full width of each tyre, inner edge included, and look for cracking and mismatched brands. A set of decent tyres is £500 or more on most cars, which makes this the easiest money to take off a price. If the pressure warning light is on, budget for sensors too.Recorded on 24.7% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 11.1%
Pads and discs Look through the wheel spokes at the brake disc. A pronounced lip on its outer edge, or a rusty and scored face, means discs and pads are due all round, a few hundred pounds on most cars. A haggling point rather than a reason to walk away.Recorded on 8.8% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 10.1%
Windscreen and wipers Scan the glass in daylight for chips, especially in the driver's line of sight where even a small one can fail the MOT. Run the washers and check the wipers clear without smearing.Recorded on 2.4% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 1.7%

Because of what owners report

Drawn from the reports above rather than the MOT data. These are the model-specific ones.

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.

Open the saveable checklist, tick it off at the car

The MOT data

Measured

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

How this model wears

Skoda CitigoClass average, all tracked models

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%

Others in its class

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

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