AI-generated reference image · MOTCost editorial
Vauxhall
3,166 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where Corsa Elites pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 10.1 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
87.7%
Pass-after-fix
4.2%
Fail
8.0%
Avg miles
28,420
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
Petrol cars first registered from January 2006 meet Euro 4 — compliant in London ULEZ, Birmingham CAZ, Bristol CAZ, and Glasgow LEZ.
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 3,166 tests
Pass rate climbs 1.6 points across the cohorts — newer Corsa Elite examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.
Pass
86.2%
Fail
9.2%
PRS
4.6%
Avg mileage at test
41,456 mi
Pass
87.8%
Fail
7.9%
PRS
4.1%
Avg mileage at test
26,693 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
Across 3,166 MOT tests, the Corsa Elite returns 87.7% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is wipers that don't clear the screen. A defective wiper blade and brake pads worn below 1.5 mm round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 28,420, 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.
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Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
111 occurrences · 3.5% of tests
Wiper blade defective
91 occurrences · 2.9% of tests
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
28 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn
23 occurrences · 0.7% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
20 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage
11 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
8 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
7 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement
5 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
A tyre cords visible or damaged
5 occurrences · 0.2% 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
£120–£250
If every one of this Corsa Elite'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.
Year-band analysis
First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 1.6-point gap between bands is modest — the year you buy Vauxhall Corsa Elite makes a small but real difference to MOT outcomes.
Best band to buy
87.8%
2021+ registration
the 2021-on band climbs to 87.8% — a 1.6-point improvement. Tests in this band average 26,693 miles — roughly 15K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: does not clear the windscreen effectively, blade defective — 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
86.2%
2018–2020 registration
On the 2018–2020 band, the data shows a 86.2% pass rate against a fleet average of 87.8% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: does not clear the windscreen effectively, blade defective, and has a cut in excess of the…. Average mileage on test for this band is 41,456 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2021+ (87.8% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2018-2020 (86.2% pass). That's a 1.6-point spread across 370 older tests and 2,796 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.
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
Bosch Aerotwin wiper blades
Cheap wipers fail the test on smear streaks. Bosch Aerotwins last a winter and clear a screen properly.
Search Amazon UK
Item 02 · 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
Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.
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Summit ADRG-25 Vauxhall Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass LHS
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Summit ADRG-32 Vauxhall Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass LHS
£12.09
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Summit ADRG-43 Vauxhall Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass RHS
£12.09
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Click Mechanic · affiliate
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Owner reports · Honest John
Verbatim faults logged by owners on honestjohn.co.uk over recent years. We didn't summarise — these are the words people typed in.
Report of repeated failures of coil packs on a 2015 Vauxhall Corsa 'Limited Edition'. First coil pack failed in 2017. Coil pack failed again in January 2019. Dearer wants to charge £250 to replace the coil packs.
Report of 2014 Vauxhall Corsa 1.4 torque converter automatic randomly going into limp mode (yellow symbol appear on dash of car with spanner in) and hardly move. Car regularly driven about town. If driver turned the engine off then restarted the fault would clear and the car drove normally. Owner took it twice to supplying Vauxhall dealer but diagnostic tests couldn’t find a stored fault. They replaced an ignition coil and a spark plug. The fault continues to happen intermittently (weeks in between or once 3 times in 1 day). Vauxhall dealer recommended an independent member of http://www.fer.co.uk /
Report of driver's information screen of new 2018 Vauxhall Corsa 1.4 Turbo randomly going blank. This displays individual pressures of each of the four wheels and autumn condensation might be affecting the TPMS and hence the info screen.
Report of repeated fault with engines in 25,000 mile March 2016 Vauxhall Corsa 1.0T, thought to be LSPI (Low Speed Pre-Ignition Detonation). Since February 2016 Vauxhall dealer has: Replaced spark plugs and leads - Fault returned; Stripped engine, replaced pistons, conrods and bearings - Fault returned, engine failed; Replaced engine - (Vauxhall Exchange Engine). This engine failed before it left the workshop. Stripped the replacement engine reported back to Vauxhall and is now fitting a second replacement engine. Owner thinks that the Exchange engines are re-conditioned, not new, are already faulty and may have damage in the actual block. He thinks that after suffering LSPI the block may have stress fractures that are not detected or repaired and only the internal components are replaced. This may be the reason the 1st replacement engine failed before leaving the workshop.
Report of timing chain of 2015 Vauxhall Corsa 1.3 CDTI failing at 60,000 miles. But car was a used buy so no record of how it had been maintained.
Report of vibration from doors, dashboard and hatchback of pre-registered Vauxhall Corsa bought in June 2017. Has been in for repair 3 times where the doors have been packed then both doors replaced and the dash taken off. The dealer stated they would replace the car if he wasnt happy with it. These vibrations were still there after the works carried out. Owner then told its a characteristic. Dealer then emailed to state it would not replace the car under rejection and neither would Vauxhall support it.
Report of clutch failing on 2015 Vauxhall Corsa 1.2SXi at 10,250 miles.
Source: honestjohn.co.uk · 7 reports indexed
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 Corsa Elite 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.