Citroen Xsara 1998: MOT failure rate for its age

49.0% of 380 MOT tests of the Citroen Xsara first registered in 1998 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 93.9 (95% CI 80.4–107.4; 100 = normal for this model at that age): the 1998 build year is no different from other years of the same model at the same age. This is a rough estimate from a smaller sample.

Citroen Xsara built in 1998 at a glance
Measure	Value	Unit	Compared with	Years	Tests
Failed first time	49.0	%	all ages tested	2019–2024	380
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 80.4–107.4)	93.9	index	100 = normal for this model at that age	2019–2024	380
Rank among this model's 13 build years	3	of 13	1 = fails least for its age	2019–2024	380
Tested in 2024	2	tests	median 124,338 miles	2024	2

Built 1998 against Citroen Xsara normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 21: 46.9% vs 54.8%; age 22: 51.9% vs 48.2%. Axis from 0% to 60%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

Check a 1998 Citroen Xsara by registration · All Citroen Xsara MOT statistics · Download the build-year table (CSV)

Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · full dataset (v5).

How does the 1998 Citroen Xsara fail at each age?

Cars built in 1998 were tested at ages 21 to 22 between 2019 and 2024. Each row compares their first-time failure share with what this model normally shows at that age, after allowing for the overall failure level of each test year.

Citroen Xsara built 1998: first-time MOT failure by age, against the model's normal rate at that age (2019–2024)
Age	Tests	Failed, %	95% interval	Normal for this model at that age, %	Index (100 = normal)
21	226 (rough estimate)	46.9	40.5–53.4	54.8	85.6
22	154 (rough estimate)	51.9	44.1–59.7	48.2	107.8

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 380 (initial tests) · Method: normal rate = this model's first-time failure share at that age across its build years (cells of 400+ tests), adjusted for each test year's overall level; cells of 30+ tests, under 500 marked rough · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

What fails most on the 1998 Citroen Xsara?

The most common failure group on cars built in 1998 is brakes: 36.4 items per 100 first tests, against 19.6 across all build years of the Citroen Xsara. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 1998 were tested at ages 21 to 22.

Failure items per 100 first tests, Citroen Xsara built 1998 against the Citroen Xsara in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure group	Built 1998, per 100	All build years, per 100	Items
Brakes	36.4	19.6	242
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	25.6	44.6	170
Suspension	21.7	32.1	144
Body, chassis, structure	20.5	22.9	136
Visibility	15.9	13.3	106

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 665 (initial tests of this build year) · Method: failure items grouped by DVSA's top-level defect groups, per 100 initial tests; groups with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How does 1998 compare with the years around it?

Among the 13 published build years of the Citroen Xsara, 1998 ranks 3 (1 = fails least for its age). 1999: index 97.5.

Citroen Xsara build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build year	Index (100 = normal)	95% interval	Verdict	Tests
1998	93.9	80.4–107.4	no different (rough estimate)	380
1999	97.5	87.0–107.9	no different (rough estimate)	656
2000	101.9	97.1–106.7	no different (rough estimate)	3,216
2001	101.5	99.1–103.8	no different	13,465
2002	99.3	97.5–101.1	no different	22,500
2003	99.2	97.6–100.7	no different	29,454
2004	98.8	97.5–100.1	no different	42,865
2005	102.1	100.9–103.4	worse	45,532
2006	96.0	94.9–97.1	better	60,637
2007	98.1	96.9–99.3	better	51,992
2008	99.0	97.3–100.7	no different	26,435
2009	92.3	90.3–94.3	better	18,727
2010	91.9	89.0–94.9	better	9,103

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 324,962 (initial tests) · Method: observed failures against those expected for the same model at the same ages, test-year level adjusted; verdict follows the printed one-decimal bound · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How to cite this page

MOT Risk Index (2026). Citroen Xsara 1998 MOT statistics (data release dvsa-2024-v2; full dataset motriskindex-families-2024-v5, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22975051), updated 30 September 2026. motriskindex.co.uk/cars/citroen-xsara/1998/

How every figure is calculated: methodology. Age, test year and build year are tied together (age = test year − build year), so the test-year level is taken as observed, not estimated.

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