Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 35,784 tests

Pass rate climbs 13.7 points across the cohorts — newer C4 Cactus examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 20,383

Pass

74.9%

Fail

18.8%

PRS

5.8%

Avg mileage at test

54,731 mi

2018–2020 cohort 14,891

Pass

81.5%

Fail

13.4%

PRS

4.8%

Avg mileage at test

37,248 mi

2021+ cohort 510

Pass

88.6%

Fail

7.1%

PRS

3.3%

Avg mileage at test

27,802 mi

Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.

The picture

Citroen C4 Cactus: mixed MOT record across 24,766 tests

The Citroën C4 Cactus is a subcompact crossover SUV, produced by French automaker Citroën in Spain between April 2014 and December 2017, with production of the second generation commencing in October 2017, with the final months of production being disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

MOT data from 24,766 tests puts this car on a 79.0% first-time pass rate, roughly in line with the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 40,304 miles. The most common fail item is inoperative wiper blade, followed by failed number plate light.

Visual features that each highlight a given function – from Airbump and wheel arch protection to the strong useable roof bars and the large panoramic glazed roof with its advanced heat protection.

Buyers weighing up a used C4 Cactus should treat the failure breakdown as a pre-purchase checklist. The pass rate is reasonable, but the gap between first attempt and a clean sheet narrows with age and mileage.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 10–18

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 →

10–18

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

Hide wear items to see the model's real defects.

01

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

1,279 occurrences · 3.6% of tests
02

Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

1,057 occurrences · 3.0% of tests
03

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

853 occurrences · 2.4% of tests
04

Wiper blade defective

737 occurrences · 2.1% of tests
05

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

729 occurrences · 2.0% of tests
06

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

416 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
07

A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED

411 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
08

a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

374 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
09

Exhaust system leaking or insecure

337 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
10

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

337 occurrences · 0.9% 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

£108–£220

If every one of this C4 Cactus'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 →

Try the calculator

Build your own retest budget.

Year-band analysis

Best year to buy. Worst to avoid.

First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 13.7-point gap between bands means the year you buy Citroen C4 Cactus has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

88.6%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 88.6% — a 13.7-point improvement. Tests in this band average 27,802 miles — roughly 27K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: does not clear the windscreen effectively, has a cut in excess of the… — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. Post-2020 examples are early in their MOT life and generally show the cleanest records.

Band to be cautious about

74.9%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 74.9% pass rate against a fleet average of 88.6% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, constant velocity boot split or insecure, no…, and tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm. Average mileage on test for this band is 54,731 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2021+ (88.6% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (74.9% pass). That's a 13.7-point spread across 20,383 older tests and 510 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.

Year-spread leaderboard →

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

Bosch Aerotwin wiper blades

Cheap wipers fail the test on smear streaks. Bosch Aerotwins last a winter and clear a screen properly.

Search Amazon UK

Item 03 · 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

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

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

Book a mobile mechanic

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.

Get a quote →

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

The driver and front passenger both gain from this new interior architecture. The wide front seats are designed in the style of a sofa, to create a more comfortable and user-friendly ambience in the cabin.

Recall history

11 UK recalls on record.

The C4 Cactus has 11 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.

See all recalls

Buying or keeping a C4 Cactus?

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 C4 Cactus 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.