Nissan
256,542 MOT tests analysed. lands in the middle of the pack — here's where Notes pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 6.7 points below the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — buyers should expect more first-time fails than the typical UK car.
Pass
70.8%
Pass-after-fix
6.9%
Fail
21.7%
Avg miles
79,134
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
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 .
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 256,516 tests
Pass rate climbs 19.5 points across the cohorts — newer Note examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.
Pass
70.8%
Fail
21.7%
PRS
6.9%
Avg mileage at test
79,153 mi
Pass
90.3%
Fail
8.7%
PRS
1.0%
Avg mileage at test
39,994 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
Generations on file · 2
Nissan Note · UK market
2004–2013
2013–2020
Photos: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA / CC BY / public domain.
The picture
The Nissan Note is a supermini/subcompact hatchback or a mini MPV manufactured and marketed globally by Nissan. Introduced in 2004, the first-generation Note was primarily marketed in Japan and Europe, and was produced in Japan and the United Kingdom.
MOT data from 197,138 tests puts this car on a 71.6% first-time pass rate, below the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 74,961 miles. The most common fail item is fractured or weakened suspension spring, followed by worn suspension pin or bush.
Honest John owner records point to gearbox noise or CVT reliability and anti-roll bar and suspension bushes failing prematurely as the recurring problems to check before buying used.
The Note's pass rate warrants caution in the used market. Factor in likely first-test remedial work on the common failure items and get a pre-purchase inspection that covers the specific items this car trips on most.
ABI Insurance Group
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 →
8–15
out of 50
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A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
9,606 occurrences · 3.7% of tests
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
9,116 occurrences · 3.6% of tests
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
8,394 occurrences · 3.3% of tests
Headlamp reflector or lens slightly defective
7,963 occurrences · 3.1% of tests
A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
7,607 occurrences · 3.0% of tests
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
7,551 occurrences · 2.9% of tests
The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements
6,908 occurrences · 2.7% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
5,704 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
5,497 occurrences · 2.1% of tests
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
4,920 occurrences · 1.9% 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 5 failures
£258–£835
If every one of this Note'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
First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 19.5-point gap between bands means the year you buy Nissan Note has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.
Best band to buy
90.3%
2018–2020 registration
the 2018–2020 band climbs to 90.3% — a 19.5-point improvement. Tests in this band average 39,994 miles — roughly 39K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, lens slightly defective — 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
70.8%
Pre-2018 registration
On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 70.8% pass rate against a fleet average of 90.3% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: pin or bush excessively worn, inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, and ball joint excessively worn. Average mileage on test for this band is 79,153 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (90.3% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (70.8% pass). That's a 19.5-point spread across 256,413 older tests and 103 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.
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
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
Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.
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Summit ASRG-1005 Nissan Replacement Stick-On Wide Angle Mirror Glass RHS
£24.19
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Summit ASRG-1004BH Nissan Replacement Wide Angle Mirror Glass with Heated Backing Plate LHS
£32.99
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Summit
Summit ASRG-1005BH Nissan Replacement Wide Angle Mirror Glass with Heated Backing Plate RHS
£32.99
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Hycote
Hycote Touch Up Colour Paint Brush Nissan Intense Blue Metallic 12.5ml
£6.59
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Click Mechanic · affiliate
Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.
Mobile mechanic · UK-wide
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Owner reports · Honest John
Verbatim faults logged by owners on honestjohn.co.uk over recent years. We didn't summarise — these are the words people typed in.
Where it falls short
Owner reports (26 entries) flag recurring problems with suspension, gearbox/clutch, power steering.
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 Note 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.
