Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 214,056 tests

Pass rate climbs 6.4 points across the cohorts — newer XF examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 196,587

Pass

80.0%

Fail

16.0%

PRS

3.4%

Avg mileage at test

91,993 mi

2018–2020 cohort 17,256

Pass

88.4%

Fail

8.6%

PRS

2.6%

Avg mileage at test

44,490 mi

2021+ cohort 213

Pass

86.4%

Fail

8.0%

PRS

4.7%

Avg mileage at test

25,716 mi

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

Generations on file · 2

Jaguar XF · UK market

Photos: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA / CC BY / public domain.

The picture

Jaguar XF: mixed MOT record across 120,982 tests

Jaguar XF may refer to:Jaguar XF (X250) (2007–2015), an executive/luxury mid-size sports saloon car Jaguar XF (X260) (2015–2024), the second generation of the executive/mid-size luxury sports saloon

MOT data from 120,982 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 83,166 miles. The most common fail item is failed number plate light, followed by tyre tread below the legal limit.

Buyers weighing up a used XF 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 34–46

A high-group car — insurance costs will be significantly above average. 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 →

34–46

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

8,034 occurrences · 3.8% of tests
02

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

4,914 occurrences · 2.3% of tests
03

A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated

4,737 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
04

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

3,895 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
05

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

3,301 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
06

A tyre cords visible or damaged

3,193 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
07

a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

3,110 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
08

A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated

2,846 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
09

A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc

2,805 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
10

A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened

2,233 occurrences · 1.0% 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

£228–£610

If every one of this XF'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 8.4-point gap between bands means the year you buy Jaguar XF has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

88.4%

2018–2020 registration

the 2018–2020 band climbs to 88.4% — a 8.4-point improvement. Tests in this band average 44,490 miles — roughly 48K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, less than 1.5 mm thick — 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

80.0%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 80.0% pass rate against a fleet average of 88.4% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated, and tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm. Average mileage on test for this band is 91,993 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (88.4% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (80.0% pass). That's a 8.4-point spread across 196,587 older tests and 17,256 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

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.

Motor World

Motor World Jaguar XJ8 RHD SWB 2003- Car Floor Mat Set

£32.99

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Motor World Jaguar XJ8 LWB 95-2006 Car Floor Mat Set

£32.99

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Motor World

Motor World Jaguar XF 2008-2014 Car Floor Mat Set

£32.99

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Motor World

Motor World Jaguar X-Type (Diesel) 2001- Car Floor Mat Set

£32.99

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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.

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Recall history

31 UK recalls on record.

The XF has 31 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.

See all recalls

Buying or keeping an XF?

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 an XF 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.