Does the Citroen 2CV fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?
The Citroen 2CV records 12.78 brakes failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 20.26 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−7.48, 95% interval −8.17 to −6.80). It ranks 616 of 712 models on brakes (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on brakes · check a Citroen 2CV by registration
What exactly fails on brakes?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Citroen 2CV is “Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement”, recorded 326 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement | 326 | 1.98 |
| Brakes imbalance across an axle such that the braking effort from any wheel is less than 70% of the maximum effort recorded from the other wheel on the same axle. | 299 | 1.82 |
| Parking brake efficiency less than 50% of the required value | 193 | 1.17 |
| Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded | 136 | 0.83 |
| Parking brake inoperative on one side | 134 | 0.82 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 16,436 (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
If a Citroen 2CV gets a brakes advisory, how often does it fail next time?
11.8% of Citroen 2CV MOTs with a brakes advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.3 months and 511 miles later (985 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 985 (advisories followed) · Method: the same vehicles followed to their next ordinary MOT · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
Other pages for this model
Citroen 2CV by postcode area · Citroen 2CV body, chassis and structure failures · Citroen 2CV vehicle identification failures · Citroen 2CV lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Citroen 2CV noise, emissions and leaks failures · Citroen 2CV seat belts and airbags failures · Citroen 2CV steering failures · Citroen 2CV suspension failures · Citroen 2CV tyres failures · Citroen 2CV visibility failures