Does the Citroen C3 fail the MOT on noise, emissions and leaks more than it should?
The Citroen C3 records 4.22 noise, emissions and leaks failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 3.87 expected for a car of the same age mix: about as expected for its class and age (the difference is within its interval or under 0.5 items per 100 tests) (+0.35, 95% interval +0.31 to +0.39). It ranks 205 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 Citroen C3 by registration
What exactly fails on noise, emissions and leaks?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Citroen C3 is “Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction”, recorded 11,224 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction | 11,224 | 0.95 |
| Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer | 9,043 | 0.76 |
| Emissions test unable to be completed | 5,458 | 0.46 |
| Emissions levels exceed default limits | 4,581 | 0.39 |
| Smoke opacity levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limit | 4,521 | 0.38 |
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 noise, emissions and leaks advisory, how often does it fail next time?
6.8% of Citroen C3 MOTs with a noise, emissions and leaks advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 4,650 miles later (59,040 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 59,040 (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 brakes failures · Citroen C3 vehicle identification failures · Citroen C3 lamps, reflectors and electrics 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