Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 46,585 tests

Pass rate climbs 18.7 points across the cohorts — newer Nv200 examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 42,594

Pass

66.5%

Fail

25.9%

PRS

7.2%

Avg mileage at test

100,222 mi

2018–2020 cohort 3,526

Pass

73.3%

Fail

18.6%

PRS

7.7%

Avg mileage at test

61,533 mi

2021+ cohort 465

Pass

85.2%

Fail

12.3%

PRS

2.4%

Avg mileage at test

21,851 mi

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

The picture

Nissan Nv200: challenging MOT record across 34,515 tests

The Nissan NV200 is a light commercial and leisure activity, 4/5-door van designed and produced by the Japanese automaker Nissan since 2009.

MOT data from 34,515 tests puts this car on a 67.0% first-time pass rate, well below the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 90,794 miles. The most common fail item is failed number plate light, followed by worn suspension pin or bush.

The Nv200'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

Group 18–25

Around the UK fleet average for insurance cost. 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 →

18–25

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

3,443 occurrences · 7.4% of tests
02

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

2,647 occurrences · 5.7% of tests
03

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

2,520 occurrences · 5.4% of tests
04

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

1,948 occurrences · 4.2% of tests
05

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

1,862 occurrences · 4.0% of tests
06

Headlamp reflector or lens slightly defective

1,431 occurrences · 3.1% of tests
07

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

1,336 occurrences · 2.9% of tests
08

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

1,308 occurrences · 2.8% of tests
09

Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

1,161 occurrences · 2.5% of tests
10

A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps

1,000 occurrences · 2.1% 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 3 failures

£168–£515

If every one of this Nv200'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 →

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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 18.7-point gap between bands means the year you buy Nissan Nv200 has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

85.2%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 85.2% — a 18.7-point improvement. Tests in this band average 21,851 miles — roughly 78K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: does not clear the windscreen effectively, blade defective — 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

66.5%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 66.5% pass rate against a fleet average of 85.2% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, ball joint excessively worn, and not working. Average mileage on test for this band is 100,222 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2021+ (85.2% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (66.5% pass). That's a 18.7-point spread across 42,594 older tests and 465 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

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

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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

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Buying or keeping a Nv200?

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 Nv200 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.