MOT cost .
Nissan Elgrand
MOT 2024

Wikimedia Commons — CC-BY-SA (image-specific)

Nissan

Elgrand

31,412 MOT tests analysed. lands in the middle of the pack — here's where Elgrands pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.

That's in line with the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models.

Pass

77.0%

Pass-after-fix

3.5%

Fail

18.8%

Avg miles

88,082

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

ULEZ borderline — check VRM

This model's production run straddles the January 2006 Euro 4 cutoff. Individual cars vary — check your registration plate on the government's ULEZ checker. Daily charges if driven in the zone: London £12.50 · Birmingham £8.00 .

UK ULEZ & CAZ guide →

Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 31,412 tests

Pass rate drops 3.5 points across the cohorts — recent Elgrand examples are doing worse than the early cars at the same tested age.

Pre-2018 cohort 27,211

Pass

77.7%

Fail

18.1%

PRS

3.5%

Avg mileage at test

87,421 mi

2018–2020 cohort 2,963

Pass

72.1%

Fail

23.8%

PRS

3.6%

Avg mileage at test

95,102 mi

2021+ cohort 1,238

Pass

74.2%

Fail

22.1%

PRS

3.4%

Avg mileage at test

85,743 mi

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

The picture

Nissan Elgrand: mixed MOT record across 15,736 tests

The Nissan Elgrand is a minivan manufactured by Nissan Shatai for Nissan since 1997, available in fourth generations, with model codes E50 (1997–2002), E51 (2002–2010), E52 (2010–present), and E53 (2026–present). The E50 Elgrand was also configured and produced as a light commercial vehicle from 1998 to 2017.

MOT data from 15,736 tests puts this car on a 73.5% first-time pass rate, below the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 90,527 miles. The most common fail item is suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated, followed by headlamp reflector or lens slightly defective.

Is the Nissan Elgrand suitable for carrying people for social events and regular use? Are there capable mechanics to repair it around the UK when needed or will I struggle with its maintenance?.

Buyers weighing up a used Elgrand 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 12–28

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 →

12–28

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

  1. 01

    A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated

    985 occurrences · 3.1% of tests

  2. 02

    Headlamp reflector or lens slightly defective

    932 occurrences · 3.0% of tests

  3. 03

    A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated

    701 occurrences · 2.2% of tests

  4. 04

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

    655 occurrences · 2.1% of tests

  5. 05

    a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

    645 occurrences · 2.1% of tests

  6. 06

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

    574 occurrences · 1.8% of tests

  7. 07

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

    561 occurrences · 1.8% of tests

  8. 08

    Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

    536 occurrences · 1.7% of tests

  9. 09

    A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

    517 occurrences · 1.6% of tests

  10. 10

    An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning

    509 occurrences · 1.6% 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 5 failures

£330–£960

If every one of this Elgrand'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 5.6-point gap between bands means the year you buy Nissan Elgrand has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

77.7%

Pre-2018 registration

the older band (pre-2018) climbs to 77.7% — a 5.6-point improvement. Tests in this band average 87,421 miles — roughly 8K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated, lens slightly defective — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band.

Band to be cautious about

72.1%

2018–2020 registration

On the 2018–2020 band, the data shows a 72.1% pass rate against a fleet average of 77.7% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated, lens slightly defective, and ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated. Average mileage on test for this band is 95,102 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: pre-2018 (77.7% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2018-2020 (72.1% pass). That's a 5.6-point spread across 2,963 older tests and 27,211 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

Item 02 · 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

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

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

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

Summit

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

£24.19

View at My Motor World →

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

Summit

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

£32.99

View at My Motor World →

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

Summit

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

£32.99

View at My Motor World →

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

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 an Elgrand?

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 Elgrand 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.