Vauxhall
4,606 MOT tests analysed. lands in the middle of the pack — here's where Vivaro 2900 Edition S/ss pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 1.6 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
75.9%
Pass-after-fix
8.6%
Fail
14.5%
Avg miles
58,497
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
Diesel cars registered from September 2015 generally meet Euro 6 — compliant in London ULEZ, Birmingham CAZ, Bristol CAZ, and Glasgow LEZ.
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 4,606 tests
Pass rate climbs 2.1 points across the cohorts — newer Vivaro 2900 Edition S/s examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.
Pass
75.5%
Fail
15.0%
PRS
8.5%
Avg mileage at test
61,146 mi
Pass
77.7%
Fail
12.0%
PRS
9.3%
Avg mileage at test
44,898 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
Across 2,433 MOT tests, the Vivaro 2900 Edition S/S returns 73.8% first-time pass — below the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is wipers that don't clear the screen. A number-plate lamp out and brake pads worn below 1.5 mm round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 49,144, 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
Around the UK fleet average for insurance cost. 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 →
20–30
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A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
249 occurrences · 5.4% of tests
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
207 occurrences · 4.5% of tests
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
133 occurrences · 2.9% of tests
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
121 occurrences · 2.6% of tests
Wiper blade defective
112 occurrences · 2.4% of tests
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps
74 occurrences · 1.6% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
62 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn
62 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED
59 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
45 occurrences · 1.0% 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
£128–£285
If every one of this Vivaro 2900 Edition S/s'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 2.1-point gap between bands is modest — the year you buy Vauxhall Vivaro 2900 Edition S/s makes a small but real difference to MOT outcomes.
Best band to buy
77.7%
2021+ registration
the 2021-on band climbs to 77.7% — a 2.1-point improvement. Tests in this band average 44,898 miles — roughly 16K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view — 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
75.5%
2018–2020 registration
On the 2018–2020 band, the data shows a 75.5% pass rate against a fleet average of 77.7% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, does not clear the windscreen effectively, and less than 1.5 mm thick. Average mileage on test for this band is 61,146 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2021+ (77.7% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2018-2020 (75.5% pass). That's a 2.1-point spread across 3,854 older tests and 752 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
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
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 03 · 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.
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
Good to drive. Useful load area. Strong payload
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 Vivaro 2900 Edition S/s 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.
