Van MOT pass rates

Vans lead harder lives than cars. Higher mileage, heavier loads, tighter schedules, and often less attentive maintenance. It shows in the MOT data: the average van pass rate is 72.3% compared to 78.0% for cars, a 5.7 percentage point gap.

The average van turning up for its MOT has 77,506 miles on the clock. That's commercial use: daily deliveries, site visits, long-distance haulage. Suspension components, brake pads, and tyres all wear faster under load.

The best-performing van here (the Nissan Juke N-Connecta Dig-T S-A at 90.5%) would only be mid-table in the car rankings. The worst (the Nissan Primastar at 62.5%) reflects what happens when a working vehicle racks up serious miles without proportionate maintenance spend.

72.3%

Avg van pass rate

77,506

Avg mileage at MOT

5,165,760

Total tests

Why vans fail more often

Suspension takes the biggest hit. A fully loaded van stresses springs, shock absorbers, and bushes far more than a car carrying passengers. Anti-roll bar links and drop links are common failure items. They're cheap parts (under £30) but labour adds up.

Brakes work harder. Stopping a 3.5 tonne loaded van from 60mph requires far more braking force than a 1.4 tonne car. Pads and discs wear faster, and rear brakes (often drums on vans) can seize if the van sits loaded for long periods.

Bodywork and corrosion. Commercial vehicles often live outside, get loaded and unloaded roughly, and accumulate stone chips and scrapes that expose bare metal. Sill corrosion and subframe rust are MOT failure items that can be expensive to repair.

63 van models ranked by pass rate

Models with 5,000+ tests. Click any model for full MOT data.

#	Model	Tests	Pass rate	Avg mileage
1	Nissan Juke N-Connecta Dig-T S-A	11,837	90.5%	20,745
2	Volkswagen Transporter T32 H-Line Tdi S-A	6,570	90%	44,356
3	Nissan Juke N-Connecta Dig-T	16,530	89.8%	23,923
4	Hyundai Tucson Se Connect T-Gdi	5,105	88.8%	23,825
5	Volkswagen Transporter T30 H-Line Tdi S-A	6,081	88.4%	39,259
6	Hyundai I10 Se Connect Mpi	7,805	87.4%	18,741
7	Volkswagen Transporter T28 Highline Tdi	10,941	87.1%	39,765
8	Ford Transit Custom 320Lmtd Eblue A	9,761	86.5%	47,372
9	Volkswagen Transporter T30 Highline Tdi	5,291	85.8%	45,496
10	Renault Trafic Sl28 Sport Energy Dci	5,369	84.3%	54,837
11	Volkswagen Transporter T28 Startline Tdi	10,975	82.8%	52,865
12	Ford Transit Custom 320Limitd Eblue	7,470	82.8%	53,839
13	Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 314 Progressive Cdi	11,601	82.7%	93,316
14	Ford Transit Custom 300Lmtd Eblue A	7,358	82.7%	51,879
15	Ford Transit Custom 300Limitd Eblue	39,721	82.2%	55,837
16	Ford Tourneo Connect	23,633	82.1%	55,529
17	Ford Transit Custom	132,075	81.8%	76,520
18	Vauxhall Vivaro 3100 Sportive S/S	8,345	81.4%	58,614
19	Ford Transit Custom 280Limitd Eblue	29,985	81.3%	52,113
20	Peugeot Expert Professional L1 Bluehdi	9,868	80.8%	61,290
21	Volkswagen Crafter Cr35 Trendline Tdi	9,194	80.4%	69,613
22	Ford Transit Custom 300 Trend Eblue	7,903	80.4%	63,680
23	Ford Transit Custom 280Leader Eblue	5,351	80.3%	60,860
24	Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 315 Progressive Cdi	18,573	79.2%	83,913
25	Vauxhall Vivaro 2900 Sportive S/S	11,113	79.1%	62,971
26	Nissan E-Nv200	8,878	79.1%	31,633
27	Ford Transit 350 Leader Ecoblue	40,603	78.8%	59,315
28	Vauxhall Vivaro 2900 Dynamic S/S	13,799	78.8%	56,660
29	Ford Transit Custom 300Leader Eblue	21,642	77.3%	59,653
30	Nissan Nv300	5,558	77.2%	67,533
31	Volkswagen Crafter Cr35 Startline Tdi	6,974	76.7%	77,371
32	Volkswagen Caddy	254,751	76.4%	111,879
33	Ford Transit Courier	33,152	76.1%	78,351
34	Toyota Proace	22,238	76.1%	74,043
35	Vauxhall Combo 2300 Dynamic Td	5,756	75.2%	46,959
36	Citroen Dispatch 1000 En-Prise Bhdi Ss	5,169	75.2%	57,466
37	Citroen Relay 35 L3H2 Eprise Bhdi S/S	9,054	74.9%	60,770
38	Vauxhall Combo 2300 Sportive Td	5,264	74.8%	48,096
39	Peugeot Boxer	178,085	74.7%	76,518
40	Mercedes-Benz Vito	151,914	74.6%	135,739
41	Ford Transit 350 Trend Ecoblue	18,525	74.5%	53,643
42	Citroen Relay 35 L2H2 Eprise Bhdi S/S	5,302	74.2%	55,824
43	Volkswagen Transporter	492,686	73.8%	130,384
44	Volkswagen Crafter	97,741	73.6%	125,029
45	Mercedes-Benz Sprinter	327,362	73.4%	155,285
46	Ford Transit Connect	259,747	72.6%	106,623
47	Fiat Doblo	68,470	71.6%	87,733
48	Peugeot Expert	80,076	70.9%	110,456
49	Ford Transit	937,812	70.4%	118,955
50	Citroen Relay	90,201	70.2%	107,855
51	Mercedes-Benz Citan	32,208	70.2%	103,807
52	Nissan Nv400	10,787	70.2%	116,729
53	Peugeot Partner	244,013	69.9%	99,758
54	Renault Trafic	197,632	69.1%	118,057
55	Renault Master	108,034	69%	128,636
56	Vauxhall Combo	146,819	68.8%	98,721
57	Citroen Dispatch	61,588	68.7%	109,214
58	Citroen Berlingo	284,435	67.9%	97,836
59	Nissan Nv200	43,343	67.4%	97,375
60	Vauxhall Vivaro	356,488	67.2%	122,343
61	Renault Kangoo	88,024	66.4%	101,700
62	Fiat Scudo	14,658	63.5%	140,839
63	Nissan Primastar	18,517	62.5%	142,948

Buying a used van?

Commercial vehicles can accumulate 30,000–50,000 miles per year. Always check the free MOT history on GOV.UK for mileage progression and advisory history. Multiple suspension or corrosion advisories suggest hard use. For ex-fleet vans, a full vehicle history check can reveal whether it was a single-owner fleet vehicle or passed through multiple hands.

With a 73% average pass rate, vans are more breakdown-prone than cars, so breakdown cover is worth considering if the van is essential to your livelihood. It's also worth getting van insurance quotes before you buy, as premiums vary widely by use class. If the MOT data shows suspension or brake issues, sites like BookMyGarage can give you a sense of repair costs.

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MOT data from DVSA anonymised test results, 2024 test year. Crown copyright, OGL v3.0. Pass rates are statistical summaries, not assessments of individual vehicle safety.