The picture
Estima: middle-of-the-pack on first-time pass
Across 18,435 MOT tests, the Estima returns 79.4% first-time pass — roughly in line with the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a number-plate lamp out. A torn suspension dust cover and a defective headlamp lens round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 96,194, 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.
Top ten reasons for rejection.
- 01
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
729 occurrences · 4.0% of tests
- 02
A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated
700 occurrences · 3.8% of tests
- 03
Headlamp reflector or lens slightly defective
578 occurrences · 3.1% of tests
- 04
A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc
565 occurrences · 3.1% of tests
- 05
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
454 occurrences · 2.5% of tests
- 06
A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated
447 occurrences · 2.4% of tests
- 07
A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated
407 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
- 08
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
397 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
- 09
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
368 occurrences · 2.0% of tests
- 10
The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements
330 occurrences · 1.8% 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–£595
If every one of this Estima'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.
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
Headlight restoration kit
Yellowed lenses fail the light-output test. A restoration kit lifts the haze in an afternoon for £20.
Search Amazon UK
Buying or keeping a Estima?
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 Estima 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.