Does the Citroen Xsara fail the MOT on noise, emissions and leaks more than it should?
The Citroen Xsara records 7.67 noise, emissions and leaks failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 7.95 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) (−0.28, 95% interval −0.38 to −0.18). It ranks 316 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 Xsara by registration
What exactly fails on noise, emissions and leaks?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Citroen Xsara is “Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction”, recorded 5,052 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction | 5,052 | 1.54 |
| Emissions test unable to be completed | 3,559 | 1.09 |
| Smoke opacity levels exceed default limit | 3,195 | 0.98 |
| Smoke opacity levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limit | 2,494 | 0.76 |
| Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer | 2,443 | 0.75 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 327,241 (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 Xsara gets a noise, emissions and leaks advisory, how often does it fail next time?
8.7% of Citroen Xsara MOTs with a noise, emissions and leaks advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 4,665 miles later (22,887 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 22,887 (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 Xsara 1998 · Citroen Xsara 1999 · Citroen Xsara 2000 · Citroen Xsara 2001 · Citroen Xsara 2002 · Citroen Xsara 2003 · Citroen Xsara 2004 · Citroen Xsara 2005 · Citroen Xsara 2006 · Citroen Xsara 2007 · Citroen Xsara 2008 · Citroen Xsara 2009 · Citroen Xsara 2010 · Citroen Xsara in Finland · Citroen Xsara in the Netherlands · Citroen Xsara by postcode area · Citroen Xsara body, chassis and structure failures · Citroen Xsara brakes failures · Citroen Xsara vehicle identification failures · Citroen Xsara lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Citroen Xsara road wheels failures · Citroen Xsara seat belts and airbags failures · Citroen Xsara steering failures · Citroen Xsara suspension failures · Citroen Xsara tyres failures · Citroen Xsara visibility failures