Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 80,664 tests

Pass rate climbs 8.1 points across the cohorts — newer Cayenne examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 57,220

Pass

86.5%

Fail

9.7%

PRS

3.1%

Avg mileage at test

94,018 mi

2018–2020 cohort 19,228

Pass

94.7%

Fail

4.1%

PRS

0.7%

Avg mileage at test

39,631 mi

2021+ cohort 4,216

Pass

94.7%

Fail

4.1%

PRS

0.6%

Avg mileage at test

27,038 mi

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

Generations on file · 3

Porsche Cayenne · UK market

Photos: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA / CC BY / public domain.

The picture

Porsche Cayenne: solid MOT record across 31,671 tests

The Porsche Cayenne is a series of automobiles manufactured by the German company Porsche since 2002. It is a luxury crossover SUV, and has been described as both a full-sized and a mid-sized vehicle.

MOT data from 31,671 tests puts this car on an 85.0% first-time pass rate, well above the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 76,710 miles. The most common fail item is fractured or weakened suspension spring, followed by cracked or discoloured windscreen.

The updated Porsche Cayenne is one of the most desirable SUVs you can buy - but that comes at a price.

For used buyers, the Cayenne's pass rate suggests it clears the MOT with fewer surprises than most — but the top failure items above are still worth a pre-purchase inspection, particularly on higher-mileage examples.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 42–50

A high-group car — insurance costs will be significantly above average. 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 →

42–50

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

1,377 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
02

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

1,277 occurrences · 1.6% of tests
03

A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened

1,079 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
04

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

857 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
05

A tyre seriously damaged

823 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
06

Headlamp reflector or lens slightly defective

578 occurrences · 0.7% of tests
07

A tyre cords visible or damaged

527 occurrences · 0.7% of tests
08

a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

387 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
09

Wiper blade defective

380 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
10

Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements

322 occurrences · 0.4% 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

£148–£370

If every one of this Cayenne'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 8.2-point gap between bands means the year you buy Porsche Cayenne has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

94.7%

2018–2020 registration

the 2018–2020 band climbs to 94.7% — a 8.2-point improvement. Tests in this band average 39,631 miles — roughly 54K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: has a cut in excess of the…, damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view — 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

86.5%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 86.5% pass rate against a fleet average of 94.7% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, and fractured or broken. Average mileage on test for this band is 94,018 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (94.7% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (86.5% pass). That's a 8.2-point spread across 57,220 older tests and 19,228 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

Item 02 · Amazon UK

Digital tyre-tread depth gauge

Five quid for a gauge beats £150 for a retest. UK MOT minimum is 1.6mm — most testers fail anything below 2mm to be safe.

Search Amazon UK

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

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

Draper Expert

Draper Expert Oil Filter Socket for Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and VW

£18.69

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My Motor World

Porsche Birthday Greetings Card (Personalised)

£4.28

View at My Motor World →

Motor World

Motor World Porsche Cayenne 2003-2012 Car Floor Mat Set

£32.99

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Motor World

Motor World Porsche 911 Coupe 2004-, Cabriolet 2005- & Targe 2006- Car Floor Mat Set

£32.99

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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 →

Owner reports · Honest John

What owners actually report.

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

The updated Porsche Cayenne is one of the most desirable SUVs you can buy - but that comes at a price.

Recall history

22 UK recalls on record.

The Cayenne has 22 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.

See all recalls

Buying or keeping a Cayenne?

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 Cayenne 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.