Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 6,143 tests

Pass rate drops 4.6 points across the cohorts — recent Cube examples are doing worse than the early cars at the same tested age.

Pre-2018 cohort 5,573

Pass

77.6%

Fail

18.1%

PRS

3.6%

Avg mileage at test

86,099 mi

2018–2020 cohort 470

Pass

74.0%

Fail

21.5%

PRS

4.0%

Avg mileage at test

94,219 mi

2021+ cohort 100

Pass

73.0%

Fail

18.0%

PRS

9.0%

Avg mileage at test

73,787 mi

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

The picture

Cube: middle-of-the-pack on first-time pass

Across 3,454 MOT tests, the Cube returns 74.0% first-time pass — below the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a lamp out. Windscreen damage and a torn suspension dust cover round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 87,598, 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

Group 8–14

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 →

8–14

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

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

01

Headlamp reflector or lens slightly defective

226 occurrences · 3.7% of tests
02

A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated

195 occurrences · 3.2% of tests
03

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

185 occurrences · 3.0% of tests
04

A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated

183 occurrences · 3.0% of tests
05

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

169 occurrences · 2.8% of tests
06

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

153 occurrences · 2.5% of tests
07

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

119 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
08

a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

97 occurrences · 1.6% of tests
09

Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

90 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
10

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

71 occurrences · 1.2% 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

£90–£320

If every one of this Cube'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 3.6-point gap between bands means the year you buy Nissan Cube has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

77.6%

Pre-2018 registration

the older band (pre-2018) climbs to 77.6% — a 3.6-point improvement. Tests in this band average 86,099 miles — roughly 8K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: lens slightly defective, damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band.

Band to be cautious about

74.0%

2018–2020 registration

On the 2018–2020 band, the data shows a 74.0% pass rate against a fleet average of 77.6% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: constant velocity boot severely deteriorated, ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated, and ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated. Average mileage on test for this band is 94,219 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: pre-2018 (77.6% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2018-2020 (74.0% pass). That's a 3.6-point spread across 470 older tests and 5,573 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

Headlight restoration kit

Yellowed lenses fail the light-output test. A restoration kit lifts the haze in an afternoon for £20.

Search Amazon UK

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Summit

Summit ASRG-1005 Nissan Replacement Stick-On Wide Angle Mirror Glass RHS

£24.19

View at My Motor World →

Summit

Summit ASRG-1004BH Nissan Replacement Wide Angle Mirror Glass with Heated Backing Plate LHS

£32.99

View at My Motor World →

Summit

Summit ASRG-1005BH Nissan Replacement Wide Angle Mirror Glass with Heated Backing Plate RHS

£32.99

View at My Motor World →

Hycote

Hycote Touch Up Colour Paint Brush Nissan Intense Blue Metallic 12.5ml

£6.59

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.

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Buying or keeping a Cube?

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 Cube 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.