Does the Citroen C3 fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?
The Citroen C3 records 10.34 brakes failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 12.02 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−1.68, 95% interval −1.74 to −1.61). It ranks 441 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 C3 by registration
What exactly fails on brakes?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Citroen C3 is “Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn”, recorded 19,113 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn | 19,113 | 1.62 |
| a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm | 18,557 | 1.57 |
| Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake | 17,013 | 1.44 |
| Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement | 8,327 | 0.70 |
| Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured | 7,738 | 0.65 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,182,504 (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 C3 gets a brakes advisory, how often does it fail next time?
11.4% of Citroen C3 MOTs with a brakes advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 4,802 miles later (195,627 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 195,627 (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 C3 2002 · Citroen C3 2003 · Citroen C3 2004 · Citroen C3 2005 · Citroen C3 2006 · Citroen C3 2007 · Citroen C3 2008 · Citroen C3 2009 · Citroen C3 2010 · Citroen C3 2011 · Citroen C3 2012 · Citroen C3 2013 · Citroen C3 2014 · Citroen C3 2015 · Citroen C3 2016 · Citroen C3 2017 · Citroen C3 2018 · Citroen C3 2019 · Citroen C3 2020 · Citroen C3 in Norway · Citroen C3 in Finland · Citroen C3 in the Netherlands · Citroen C3 by postcode area · Citroen C3 body, chassis and structure failures · Citroen C3 vehicle identification failures · Citroen C3 lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Citroen C3 noise, emissions and leaks failures · Citroen C3 road wheels failures · Citroen C3 seat belts and airbags failures · Citroen C3 steering failures · Citroen C3 suspension failures · Citroen C3 tyres failures · Citroen C3 visibility failures