Does the Caterham Seven fail the MOT on noise, emissions and leaks more than it should?
The Caterham Seven records 5.16 noise, emissions and leaks failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 8.29 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−3.13, 95% interval −3.73 to −2.53). It ranks 612 of 678 models on noise, emissions and leaks (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on noise, emissions and leaks · check a Caterham Seven by registration
What exactly fails on noise, emissions and leaks?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Caterham Seven is “Emissions levels exceed default limits”, recorded 225 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Emissions levels exceed default limits | 225 | 2.53 |
| Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer | 85 | 0.96 |
| Emissions levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limits | 69 | 0.78 |
| Emissions test unable to be completed | 34 | 0.38 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 8,876 (initial tests) · Method: failure items (major and minor) grouped by DVSA's defect tree; wordings with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
Other pages for this model
Caterham Seven by postcode area · Caterham Seven body, chassis and structure failures · Caterham Seven brakes failures · Caterham Seven vehicle identification failures · Caterham Seven lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Caterham Seven steering failures · Caterham Seven suspension failures · Caterham Seven tyres failures · Caterham Seven visibility failures