The picture
C3 Aircross: a strong MOT record by UK norms
Across 27,274 MOT tests, the C3 Aircross returns 87.5% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is brake pads worn below 1.5 mm. An excessively worn brake disc and a seriously damaged tyre round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 27,953, 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.
Top ten reasons for rejection.
- 01
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
558 occurrences · 2.0% of tests
- 02
Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn
547 occurrences · 2.0% of tests
- 03
A tyre seriously damaged
436 occurrences · 1.6% of tests
- 04
A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc
371 occurrences · 1.4% of tests
- 05
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
366 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
- 06
A tyre cords visible or damaged
216 occurrences · 0.8% of tests
- 07
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
206 occurrences · 0.8% of tests
- 08
A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated
193 occurrences · 0.7% of tests
- 09
Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured
171 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
- 10
Exhaust system leaking or insecure
164 occurrences · 0.6% 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 2 failures
£140–£255
If every one of this C3 Aircross'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.
Tools that pre-empt a retest.
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
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
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
Buying or keeping a C3 Aircross?
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 C3 Aircross 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.