MOT Risk Index.co.uk

Does the Citroen C3 fail the MOT on seat belts and airbags more than it should?

The Citroen C3 records 1.32 seat belts and airbags failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 1.10 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) (+0.22, 95% interval +0.20 to +0.24). It ranks 195 of 627 models on seat belts and airbags (1 = most failures above expected).

Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on seat belts and airbags · check a Citroen C3 by registration

What exactly fails on seat belts and airbags?

The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Citroen C3 is “The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any seat belt anchorage (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired”, recorded 9,231 times in 2019–2024.

Citroen C3: most frequent seat belts and airbags defect wordings, 2019–2024 (30+ items each)
DVSA defect wordingItemsPer 100 tests
The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any seat belt anchorage (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired9,2310.78
An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction2,3290.20
Seat belt buckle missing, damaged or not functioning as intended1,3190.11
Seat belt not functioning as intended or of an incorrect type8830.07
A seat belt webbing or flexible stalk significantly stretched or weakened6600.06

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 seat belts and airbags advisory, how often does it fail next time?

8.5% of Citroen C3 MOTs with a seat belts and airbags advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 4,352 miles later (6,385 advisories followed).

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 6,385 (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 noise, emissions and leaks failures · Citroen C3 road wheels failures · Citroen C3 steering failures · Citroen C3 suspension failures · Citroen C3 tyres failures · Citroen C3 visibility failures