Citroen
5,558 MOT tests analysed. lands in the middle of the pack — here's where Berlingo Multispaces pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 0.9 points below the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — buyers should expect more first-time fails than the typical UK car.
Pass
76.7%
Pass-after-fix
6.9%
Fail
16.1%
Avg miles
46,011
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
Some examples of this model are borderline — a small number of diesels were certified Euro 6 before September 2015. Check your registration on the government's ULEZ checker to be certain. Daily charges if driven in the zone: London £12.50 · Birmingham £8.00 · Bristol £9.00 .
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 5,526 tests
Pass rate climbs 1.8 points across the cohorts — newer Berlingo Multispace examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.
Pass
76.2%
Fail
16.6%
PRS
6.8%
Avg mileage at test
50,243 mi
Pass
78.0%
Fail
14.5%
PRS
7.1%
Avg mileage at test
33,122 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
Across 3,770 MOT tests, the Berlingo Multispace returns 78.5% first-time pass — roughly in line with the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a missing CV-joint boot. A number-plate lamp out and tyre tread under the limit round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 39,534, which is the lens to read those failure rankings through. If you own one and the next test is close, the ranked list below is a sensible pre-test checklist.
ABI Insurance Group
Below the fleet average — generally reasonable to insure. Lower groups cost less to insure; UK fleet average is around Group 22.
Source: ABI Group Rating Panel · administered by Thatcham Research · groups cover standard variants; performance trims may sit higher. Browse all insurance groups →
12–20
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A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc
208 occurrences · 3.7% of tests
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
135 occurrences · 2.4% of tests
A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated
89 occurrences · 1.6% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
84 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
79 occurrences · 1.4% of tests
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
70 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED
68 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
Audible warning inoperative
65 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
64 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
63 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.
Worst-case fix budget · top 3 failures
£148–£290
If every one of this Berlingo Multispace's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →
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Build your own retest budget.
Year-band analysis
First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 1.8-point gap between bands is modest — the year you buy Citroen Berlingo Multispace makes a small but real difference to MOT outcomes.
Best band to buy
78.0%
2018–2020 registration
the 2018–2020 band climbs to 78.0% — a 1.8-point improvement. Tests in this band average 33,122 miles — roughly 17K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no…, not working — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. The stricter post-2018 MOT test rules meant manufacturers had to tighten up emissions and electrical checks, but this band still shows far fewer major failures on suspension and bodywork than the older fleet.
Band to be cautious about
76.2%
Pre-2018 registration
On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 76.2% pass rate against a fleet average of 78.0% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no…, inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, and constant velocity boot severely deteriorated. Average mileage on test for this band is 50,243 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (78.0% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (76.2% pass). That's a 1.8-point spread across 4,209 older tests and 1,317 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.
Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.
Item 01 · Amazon UK
H7 / W21W bulb pack
A spare-bulb kit lives in the boot. Test morning is not the time to find your stop-lamp's gone.
Search Amazon UK
Item 02 · Amazon UK
Digital tyre-tread depth gauge
Five quid for a gauge beats £150 for a retest. UK MOT minimum is 1.6mm — most testers fail anything below 2mm to be safe.
Search Amazon UK
Item 03 · Amazon UK
Brake pad measurement gauge
Testers fail pads under 1.5mm. A wear gauge tells you if you've got two months left or two weeks.
Search Amazon UK
My Motor World · affiliate
Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.
Summit
Summit ADRG-169 Citroen Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass RHS
£9.89
View at My Motor World →
Summit
Summit ADRG-170 Citroen Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass LHS
£9.89
View at My Motor World →
Summit
Summit ADRG-48 Citroen Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass RHS
£9.89
View at My Motor World →
Summit
Summit ADRG-49 Citroen Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass LHS
£9.89
View at My Motor World →
Click Mechanic · affiliate
Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.
Mobile mechanic · UK-wide
Book a mechanic at your door.
Fixed-price quotes upfront. No garage needed. Click Mechanic sends a vetted local mechanic to you — home, work, or roadside.
Owner reports · Honest John
Verbatim faults logged by owners on honestjohn.co.uk over recent years. We didn't summarise — these are the words people typed in.
What's good
Good payload for size. Safety tech. Engaging to drive.
Recall history
The Berlingo Multispace has 1 official UK vehicle recall covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.
Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.
If you own a Berlingo Multispace and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.
