Skoda
Roomster
31,293 MOT tests analysed. lands in the middle of the pack — here's where Roomsters pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 5.7 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
71.8%
Pass-after-fix
4.9%
Fail
22.8%
Avg miles
89,236
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 .
The picture
Skoda Roomster: mixed MOT record across 24,311 tests
The Škoda Roomster is a small family car manufactured and marketed by Škoda Auto from December 2005 to 2015 over a single generation with a single intermediate facelift. It has a five-door, five passenger, front-engine, front-wheel drive, high-roof design and has been described as a hatchback, an estate car, or a multi-purpose vehicle.
MOT data from 24,311 tests puts this car on a 73.1% first-time pass rate, below the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 84,848 miles. The most common fail item is failed number plate light, followed by transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated.
Honest John owner records point to engine oil consumption or timing chain issues as the recurring problems to check before buying used.
Buyers weighing up a used Roomster should treat the failure breakdown as a pre-purchase checklist. The pass rate is reasonable, but the gap between first attempt and a clean sheet narrows with age and mileage.
ABI Insurance Group
Group 8–14
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 →
8–14
out of 50
Top ten reasons for rejection.
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- 01
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
1,501 occurrences · 4.8% of tests
- 02
A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated
1,420 occurrences · 4.5% of tests
- 03
A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc
1,026 occurrences · 3.3% of tests
- 04
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
837 occurrences · 2.7% of tests
- 05
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
763 occurrences · 2.4% of tests
- 06
A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
728 occurrences · 2.3% of tests
- 07
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
717 occurrences · 2.3% of tests
- 08
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
555 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
- 09
Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake
545 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
- 10
Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements
542 occurrences · 1.7% 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 2 failures
£88–£275
If every one of this Roomster'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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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
No sliding rear side doors. Centre rear seat is narrow in the back. No spare wheel from 2009. Multiple electrical failures seem to be a common problem.
Recent owner-reported faults
- 7 Feb 2013
Plague of rear wiper failures coupled with failure of Skoda to supply replacement parts. Same problem reported on an Octavia in Feb
- 11 Jan 2013
Warranty on DSG 7-speed dry clutch DQ200 gearbox extended to 5 years or 150,000 kilometres in Russia and China. Sources: Indiancarsandbikes 1 , vwwatercooled , Indiancarsandbikes 2 .
- 20 Nov 2012
Report of oil pump chain drive failure on 79k mile 2007 1.4TDI resulting in £2,800 of engine damage.
- 21 Oct 2012
Hesitation of 2011MY 1.2TSI with 7-Speed DSG can sometimes be cured by a turbo shim modification and software update to cure the problem, but that Skoda only makes it it available if owners report, even if the car is on Skoda's database as being susceptible to the problem.
- 28 Oct 2011
Another reader is suffering severe rear tyre inner shoulder wear despite having had new consort bushes fitted. Suspect a bent rear twist beam axle, possible from having been jacked up by it at some time.
- 21 Aug 2011
Moisture ingress to windows and locking ECU inside drivers door causing windows to open when car is left standing.
- 21 Jan 2011
Report of multiple electrical failures on 2007 Roomster with 19,000 miles just out of warranty: Light control switch, n/s window motor, mirror control switch all failed at cost of £368. Goodwill turned down.
- 1 Jan 0001
All apart from the 1.2 chain-cam three-cylinder and 4-cylinder TSI engines need new timing belts and tensioners every 4 years or 60,000 miles whichever comes first. April 2009 report that engine mounting bolts prone to shearing was exaggerated. Seems that the engines are installed at a slant and look as if the mounting bolts at one end have sheared. Problems reported of 1.4 TDIs cutting out, leaving no power assistance to steering and brakes. Repeated power steering failure quite common. No spare wheel from 2009MY. Spacesaver spares complete with jacking kit from www.skospares.com or www.theskodashop.co.uk Reports of very high early oil consumption of 1.2TSI 105.
Source: honestjohn.co.uk · 8 reports indexed
Recall history
4 UK recalls on record.
The Roomster has 4 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.
Buying or keeping a Roomster?
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 Roomster 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.