Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 64,727 tests

Pass rate climbs 5.3 points across the cohorts — newer Grandland examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 9,124

Pass

83.4%

Fail

12.9%

PRS

3.2%

Avg mileage at test

49,283 mi

2018–2020 cohort 54,730

Pass

86.2%

Fail

10.6%

PRS

2.9%

Avg mileage at test

42,922 mi

2021+ cohort 873

Pass

88.7%

Fail

7.8%

PRS

2.8%

Avg mileage at test

30,278 mi

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

Generations on file · 2

Vauxhall Grandland · UK market

Vauxhall Grandland 2017-2022 — 2017–2022

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

The picture

Vauxhall Grandland: solid MOT record across 40,467 tests

The Vauxhall Grandland is a petrol-powered car sold in the UK market across multiple generations, covering a broad date range in the test population.

MOT data from 40,467 tests puts this car on an 86.4% first-time pass rate, well above the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 35,816 miles. The most common fail item is tyre tread below the legal limit, followed by brake pads worn below 1.5mm.

The new Vauxhall Grandland ticks most of the right boxes for a family SUV, with a roomy cabin and a competitive price. The problem is, it doesn't really shine in any area, and is sub-par in some, particularly ride and handling. That's an issue when there are so m.

For used buyers, the Grandland'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 21–30

Above average — worth comparing quotes before buying. 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 →

21–30

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

Hide wear items to see the model's real defects.

01

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

2,004 occurrences · 3.1% of tests
02

a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

998 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
03

A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated

776 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
04

Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view

611 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
05

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

590 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
06

A tyre seriously damaged

445 occurrences · 0.7% of tests
07

A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc

388 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
08

Wiper blade defective

383 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
09

Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn

353 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
10

Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

348 occurrences · 0.5% 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

£220–£495

If every one of this Grandland'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 5.3-point gap between bands means the year you buy Vauxhall Grandland has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

88.7%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 88.7% — a 5.3-point improvement. Tests in this band average 30,278 miles — roughly 19K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, less than 1.5 mm thick — 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

83.4%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 83.4% pass rate against a fleet average of 88.7% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, less than 1.5 mm thick, and ball joint excessively worn. Average mileage on test for this band is 49,283 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2021+ (88.7% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (83.4% pass). That's a 5.3-point spread across 9,124 older tests and 873 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

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

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

Parts & supplies for this fix

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

Summit

Summit ADRG-13 Vauxhall Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass RHS

£9.89

View at My Motor World →

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

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 new Vauxhall Grandland ticks most of the right boxes for a family SUV, with a roomy cabin and a competitive price. The problem is, it doesn't really shine in any area, and is sub-par in some, particularly when it comes to ride and handling. That's an issue when there are so many strong alternatives.

Recall history

12 UK recalls on record.

The Grandland has 12 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.

See all recalls

Buying or keeping a Grandland?

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 Grandland 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.