Vauxhall
Meriva
161,430 MOT tests analysed. lands in the middle of the pack — here's where Merivas pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 7.1 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
70.4%
Pass-after-fix
4.9%
Fail
24.0%
Avg miles
76,446
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
Vauxhall Meriva: mixed MOT record across 130,986 tests
The Vauxhall Meriva 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 130,986 tests puts this car on a 70.3% first-time pass rate, below the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 72,985 miles. The most common fail item is fractured or weakened suspension spring, followed by brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded.
Honest John owner records point to brake component wear as the recurring problems to check before buying used.
The Meriva's pass rate warrants caution in the used market. Factor in likely first-test remedial work on the common failure items and get a pre-purchase inspection that covers the specific items this car trips on most.
ABI Insurance Group
Group 9–16
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 →
9–16
out of 50
Top ten reasons for rejection.
Filter failures:
Hide categories
Tick a category to hide it from rankings sitewide. Saved in this browser only.
- 01
A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
8,492 occurrences · 5.3% of tests
- 02
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
4,532 occurrences · 2.8% of tests
- 03
Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
3,942 occurrences · 2.4% of tests
- 04
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
3,058 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
- 05
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
3,023 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
- 06
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
2,945 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
- 07
A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated
2,810 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
- 08
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
2,669 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
- 09
A tyre cords visible or damaged
2,660 occurrences · 1.6% of tests
- 10
A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play
2,605 occurrences · 1.6% 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 5 failures
£268–£620
If every one of this Meriva'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.
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
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
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.
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
Owner reports (23 entries) flag recurring problems with electrical faults, power steering, turbo.
Recall history
9 UK recalls on record.
The Meriva has 9 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.
Buying or keeping a Meriva?
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 Meriva 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.