Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 5,943 tests

Pass rate climbs 8.8 points across the cohorts — newer Nv300 examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 2,121

Pass

72.0%

Fail

22.0%

PRS

5.0%

Avg mileage at test

87,358 mi

2018–2020 cohort 2,100

Pass

77.1%

Fail

18.4%

PRS

3.7%

Avg mileage at test

66,483 mi

2021+ cohort 1,722

Pass

80.7%

Fail

13.7%

PRS

4.2%

Avg mileage at test

46,730 mi

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

The picture

Nv300: middle-of-the-pack on first-time pass

Across 2,684 MOT tests, the Nv300 returns 77.9% first-time pass — roughly in line with the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is windscreen damage. A broken or weak spring and brake pads worn below 1.5 mm round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 63,674, 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 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:

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

01

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

261 occurrences · 4.4% of tests
02

A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play

182 occurrences · 3.1% of tests
03

a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

148 occurrences · 2.5% of tests
04

A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage

132 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
05

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

131 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
06

A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened

116 occurrences · 2.0% of tests
07

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

112 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
08

Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction

95 occurrences · 1.6% of tests
09

Obligatory mirror or device slightly damaged or loose

91 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
10

A tyre seriously damaged

89 occurrences · 1.5% 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–£435

If every one of this Nv300'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 8.8-point gap between bands means the year you buy Nissan Nv300 has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

80.7%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 80.7% — a 8.8-point improvement. Tests in this band average 46,730 miles — roughly 41K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, less than 1.5 mm thick — 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

72.0%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 72.0% pass rate against a fleet average of 80.7% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: ball joint has excessive play, damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, and fractured or broken. Average mileage on test for this band is 87,358 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2021+ (80.7% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (72.0% pass). That's a 8.8-point spread across 2,121 older tests and 1,722 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

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

Item 02 · 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

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 Nv300?

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 Nv300 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.