MOT cost .
Citroen C3
MOT 2023
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Citroen

C3

245,367 MOT tests analysed. lands in the middle of the pack — here's where C3s pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.

That's 4.4 points below the UK fleet average across our 1,988 tracked models — buyers should expect more first-time fails than the typical UK car.

Pass

71.3%

Pass-after-fix

6.1%

Fail

22.1%

Avg miles

65,102

Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%

The picture

71.3% pass rate — springs and CV boots the culprits

Number plate lamps top the C3's failure list, followed by fractured spring components and missing CV joint boots — a spread that points to an ageing car worn down through neglect rather than design fault. Across 245,367 tests at 65,102 average miles, the C3's 71.3% pass rate lags behind the supermini average. MOT centres catch the same issues repeatedly on French metal of this age.

Owner reports add some specific warnings. The 2012 wrapover windscreen cracked three times on the same car. A 2013 1.2 VTi had its timing belt come off at just 12,996 miles — already through a service action at 3,200 miles that declared it sound. Gearbox fault warnings appeared in 2011 automatics after extended traffic sitting. None of these are cheap surprises. Check the springs, inspect the CV boots, and verify the rear lamps before the tester does it for you.

Top ten reasons for rejection.

  1. 01

    A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources

    13,711 occurrences · 5.6% of tests

  2. 02

    A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened

    8,083 occurrences · 3.3% of tests

  3. 03

    A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc

    7,443 occurrences · 3.0% of tests

  4. 04

    Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

    7,045 occurrences · 2.9% of tests

  5. 05

    Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning

    6,037 occurrences · 2.5% of tests

  6. 06

    A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning

    5,755 occurrences · 2.3% of tests

  7. 07

    A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

    5,625 occurrences · 2.3% of tests

  8. 08

    A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play

    5,075 occurrences · 2.1% of tests

  9. 09

    Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements

    4,347 occurrences · 1.8% of tests

  10. 10

    Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view

    4,236 occurrences · 1.7% 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 4 failures

£156–£405

If every one of this C3'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

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

Owner reports · Honest John

What owners actually report.

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

An unassuming small car, the Citroen C3 offers easy driving and practicality. But don’t expect any of the excitement behind the wheel that the likes of a Ford Fiesta of a similar age delivers.

Recent owner-reported faults

  1. 20 Sep 2018

    Report of repeated cracking of wrapover screen of 2012 Citroen C3. Has been replaced 3 times on the same car. Has now cracked again, right across on the inside this time, just above the bend.

  2. 27 Mar 2018

    Report of timing belt of 2013/63 Citroen C3 1.2 82Vti coming off at 12,996 miles. Car has been in for service action at 3,200 miles where the timing belt checked okay.

  3. 15 Nov 2017

    Report of problem with 2011 Citroen C3 automatic. After being stuck in traffic for a long period in rush hour the gearbox fault warning sign comes on and it jerks forward when car moves off, but once car been moving again it is fine.

  4. 12 Jul 2016

    Failure of power steering rack of 34k mile 2011 Citroen C3 reported and quoted £1,300 to replace.

  5. 5 Jul 2016

    Intermittent failure of electric power assistance to steering of C3 reported.

Source: honestjohn.co.uk · 5 reports indexed

Buying or keeping a C3?

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 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.