Vauxhall
26,067 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where Corsa SEs pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 8.3 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
85.8%
Pass-after-fix
4.3%
Fail
9.6%
Avg miles
26,852
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 · 26,055 tests
Pass rate climbs 3.0 points across the cohorts — newer Corsa SE examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.
Pass
84.5%
Fail
10.6%
PRS
4.6%
Avg mileage at test
28,379 mi
Pass
87.5%
Fail
8.3%
PRS
3.9%
Avg mileage at test
24,963 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
Across 9,448 MOT tests, the Corsa Se returns 87.3% 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 a seriously damaged tyre round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 21,643, 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
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 →
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Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
1,282 occurrences · 4.9% of tests
Wiper blade defective
733 occurrences · 2.8% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
233 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
206 occurrences · 0.8% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
187 occurrences · 0.7% of tests
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
163 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn
151 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
81 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage
59 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
A tyre cords visible or damaged
55 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 4 failures
£180–£345
If every one of this Corsa SE'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 3.0-point gap between bands means the year you buy Vauxhall Corsa SE has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.
Best band to buy
87.5%
2021+ registration
the 2021-on band climbs to 87.5% — a 3.0-point improvement. 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
84.5%
2018–2020 registration
On the 2018–2020 band, the data shows a 84.5% pass rate against a fleet average of 87.5% 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 28,379 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2021+ (87.5% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2018-2020 (84.5% pass). That's a 3.0-point spread across 14,275 older tests and 11,780 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
Item 03 · 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
Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.
Summit
Summit ADRG-13 Vauxhall Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass RHS
£9.89
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Summit
Summit ADRG-25 Vauxhall Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass LHS
£10.99
View at My Motor World →
Summit
Summit ADRG-32 Vauxhall Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass LHS
£12.09
View at My Motor World →
Summit
Summit ADRG-43 Vauxhall Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass RHS
£12.09
View at My Motor World →
Click Mechanic · affiliate
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Mobile mechanic · UK-wide
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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 SE 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.
