MOT cost .
Nissan Serena
MOT 2024

Photo: User3204, CC BY 4.0

Nissan

Serena

6,844 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where Serenas pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.

That's 6.0 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.

Pass

83.5%

Pass-after-fix

3.9%

Fail

12.0%

Avg miles

80,016

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 · 6,844 tests

Pass rate drops 5.5 points across the cohorts — recent Serena examples are doing worse than the early cars at the same tested age.

Pre-2018 cohort 5,953

Pass

84.1%

Fail

11.6%

PRS

3.7%

Avg mileage at test

79,446 mi

2018–2020 cohort 657

Pass

80.2%

Fail

13.6%

PRS

6.1%

Avg mileage at test

83,722 mi

2021+ cohort 234

Pass

78.6%

Fail

17.1%

PRS

2.6%

Avg mileage at test

84,109 mi

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

The picture

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

Across 2,468 MOT tests, the Serena returns 77.5% first-time pass — roughly in line with the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a torn steering gaiter. A defective headlamp lens and brake pads worn below 1.5 mm round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 87,572, 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:

  1. 01

    Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated

    270 occurrences · 3.9% of tests

  2. 02

    Headlamp reflector or lens slightly defective

    126 occurrences · 1.8% of tests

  3. 03

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

    108 occurrences · 1.6% of tests

  4. 04

    a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

    97 occurrences · 1.4% of tests

  5. 05

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

    89 occurrences · 1.3% of tests

  6. 06

    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

    87 occurrences · 1.3% of tests

  7. 07

    Wiper blade defective

    73 occurrences · 1.1% of tests

  8. 08

    The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements

    70 occurrences · 1.0% of tests

  9. 09

    Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

    69 occurrences · 1.0% of tests

  10. 10

    Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

    68 occurrences · 1.0% 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 4 failures

£178–£515

If every one of this Serena'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 5.5-point gap between bands means the year you buy Nissan Serena has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

84.1%

Pre-2018 registration

the older band (pre-2018) climbs to 84.1% — a 5.5-point improvement. Failures here are mostly wear items: ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt, 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

78.6%

2021+ registration

On the 2021-on band, the data shows a 78.6% pass rate against a fleet average of 84.1% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt, lens slightly defective, and has ply or cords exposed. Average mileage on test for this band is 84,109 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: pre-2018 (84.1% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2021+ (78.6% pass). That's a 5.5-point spread across 234 older tests and 5,953 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

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 03 · 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.

Get a quote →

Buying or keeping a Serena?

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 Serena 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.