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Citroen reliability and common MOT problems by model

Citroen shows a 22.8% combined MOT failure rate across 1,366,927 tests in Motintel data. C3 Aircross has one of the lower high-confidence rates at 9.8%. Xsara deserves extra checking at 30.4%.

Data sources: DVSA MOT records, official recall records, and MOT fault wording snapshots (2026-04-27, 2026-04-29, rfr_codes_2025-05-12, failure items 2023). Search-indexed model pages must clear 20,000 MOT tests and 10,000 vehicles.

Most reliable Citroen models in MOT data

#	Model	MOT failure rate	Tests	Vehicles
1	Citroen C3 Aircross	9.8%	27,274 tests	23,714 vehicles
2	Citroen C4 Cactus	15.1%	24,766 tests	20,259 vehicles
3	Citroen C5	17.8%	25,909 tests	20,587 vehicles
4	Citroen C1	18.7%	204,200 tests	164,035 vehicles
5	Citroen C3	22.1%	245,367 tests	188,234 vehicles

Citroen models with the highest MOT failure rates

#	Model	MOT failure rate	Tests	Vehicles
1	Citroen Xsara	30.4%	46,898 tests	33,506 vehicles
2	Citroen Ds3	28.0%	102,347 tests	70,983 vehicles
3	Citroen Nemo	26.8%	20,680 tests	14,772 vehicles
4	Citroen Dispatch	24.6%	60,627 tests	44,668 vehicles
5	Citroen Relay	24.6%	72,987 tests	53,986 vehicles

Common Citroen MOT problem areas

#	Problem area	MOT notes	Models affected	What to check	High-rate examples
1	Corrosion and structure	245,022 MOT notes	12 models	Inspect sills, subframes, suspension mounts, brake pipes, and previous welding or rust repairs.	Citroen Xsara, Citroen C1, Citroen Nemo
2	Lights and electrical	210,135 MOT notes	12 models	Test every exterior light, warning lamp, horn, washer, and basic electrical function before buying.	Citroen Xsara, Citroen Relay, Citroen Nemo
3	Suspension and steering	197,809 MOT notes	12 models	Listen for knocks, check uneven tyre wear, and ask whether worn joints or bushes have been replaced.	Citroen Xsara, Citroen C4, Citroen Ds3
4	Emissions, engine, and exhaust	149,197 MOT notes	12 models	Check cold starts, exhaust smoke, warning lights, service history, and recent emissions repairs.	Citroen Xsara, Citroen Nemo, Citroen Dispatch
5	Windscreen, wipers, and mirrors	107,359 MOT notes	12 models	Check the windscreen, wipers, washers, mirrors, chips, cracks, and whether the driver's view is clear.	Citroen Relay, Citroen Nemo, Citroen Dispatch
6	Tyres and wheels	28,788 MOT notes	12 models	Look for matching tyres, legal tread, sidewall damage, wheel damage, and uneven wear.	Citroen Dispatch, Citroen Relay, Citroen Xsara

All Citroen model reports

Model	MOT tests	Vehicles	Failure rate
C3	245,367	188,234	22.1%
Berlingo	237,330	175,815	23.9%
C1	204,200	164,035	18.7%
C4	182,438	132,917	24.4%
Ds3	102,347	70,983	28.0%
Relay	72,987	53,986	24.6%
Dispatch	60,627	44,668	24.6%
Xsara	46,898	33,506	30.4%
C3 Aircross	27,274	23,714	9.8%
C5	25,909	20,587	17.8%
C4 Cactus	24,766	20,259	15.1%
Nemo	20,680	14,772	26.8%
C2 limited data	18,586	13,151	30.0%
C4 Grand Picasso limited data	17,910	13,792	18.7%
Ds4 limited data	14,221	10,225	26.1%
C4 Picasso limited data	8,080	6,529	15.8%
C3 Picasso limited data	7,763	6,328	16.9%
Grand C4 Picasso limited data	7,256	4,961	29.8%
Ds5 limited data	5,778	4,178	24.9%
Saxo limited data	5,749	4,203	29.4%
Berlingo Multispace limited data	3,770	3,091	14.6%
Relay 35 L3h2 Eprise Bhdi S S limited data	3,468	2,806	17.3%
2cv limited data	3,193	2,553	20.2%
Spacetourer limited data	2,998	2,387	14.6%
C Crosser limited data	2,723	1,925	28.2%
Dispatch 1000 En Prise Bhdi Ss limited data	2,621	2,172	13.9%
C3 Flair Puretech S S limited data	2,464	2,220	6.5%
Relay 35 L2h2 Eprise Bhdi S S limited data	1,987	1,608	18.3%
C8 limited data	1,815	1,206	33.8%
Dispatch 1400 En Prise Bhdi Ss limited data	1,712	1,330	17.2%
C15 limited data	1,524	1,063	33.5%
Unknown limited data	1,405	1,172	12.5%
Berlingo 1000 En Prise Bluehdi limited data	1,081	875	15.9%

Models with limited data (fewer than 20,000 tests or 10,000 vehicles) have full reports but are not indexed in search engines until the evidence threshold is met.