Vauxhall
57,799 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where Vivas pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 6.8 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
84.3%
Pass-after-fix
3.6%
Fail
11.7%
Avg miles
38,466
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 .
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 57,799 tests
Pass rate climbs 3.1 points across the cohorts — newer Viva examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.
Pass
83.8%
Fail
12.2%
PRS
3.7%
Avg mileage at test
40,660 mi
Pass
87.0%
Fail
9.1%
PRS
3.6%
Avg mileage at test
25,885 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
Generations on file · 2
Vauxhall Viva · UK market
1963–1979
2015–2019
Photos: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA / CC BY / public domain.
The picture
The Vauxhall Viva 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 42,373 tests puts this car on an 86.3% first-time pass rate, well above the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 32,748 miles. The most common fail item is defective wiper blade, followed by inoperative wiper blade.
The Viva feels decidedly average, especially when you compare it to the current crop of city cars that focus on fun and style - both of which are desperately lacking here.
For used buyers, the Viva'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
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 →
8–26
out of 50
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A tyre pressure monitoring system malfunctioning or obviously inoperative
1,042 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
Wiper blade defective
986 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
958 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
692 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
611 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
554 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
540 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
450 occurrences · 0.8% of tests
A tyre cords visible or damaged
448 occurrences · 0.8% of tests
A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc
341 occurrences · 0.6% 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 3 failures
£100–£185
If every one of this Viva'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
First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 3.1-point gap between bands means the year you buy Vauxhall Viva has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.
Best band to buy
87.0%
2018–2020 registration
the 2018–2020 band climbs to 87.0% — a 3.1-point improvement. Tests in this band average 25,885 miles — roughly 15K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: blade defective, does not clear the windscreen effectively — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. The stricter post-2018 MOT test rules meant manufacturers had to tighten up emissions and electrical checks, but this band still shows far fewer major failures on suspension and bodywork than the older fleet.
Band to be cautious about
83.8%
Pre-2018 registration
On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 83.8% pass rate against a fleet average of 87.0% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: malfunctioning or obviously inoperative, blade defective, and does not clear the windscreen effectively. Average mileage on test for this band is 40,660 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (87.0% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (83.8% pass). That's a 3.1-point spread across 49,212 older tests and 8,587 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
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
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
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
Verbatim faults logged by owners on honestjohn.co.uk over recent years. We didn't summarise — these are the words people typed in.
What's good
Functional and affordable city car, easy to park, well-equipped as standard, flat folding rear seats.
Recall history
The Viva has 1 official UK vehicle recall covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.
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 Viva 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.
