Does the DS 3 fail the MOT on body, chassis and structure more than it should?
The DS 3 records 15.16 body, chassis and structure failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 2.68 expected for a car of the same age mix: more than expected for its class and age (+12.48, 95% interval +12.38 to +12.57). It ranks 31 of 663 models on body, chassis and structure (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on body, chassis and structure · check a DS 3 by registration
What exactly fails on body, chassis and structure?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the DS 3 is “A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc”, recorded 50,364 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 50,364 | 7.97 |
| Exhaust system leaking or insecure | 24,974 | 3.95 |
| A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated | 15,173 | 2.40 |
| Any part of the noise suppression system insecure | 1,272 | 0.20 |
| Bumper insecure or with damage likely to cause injury when grazed or contacted | 587 | 0.09 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 632,064 (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 DS 3 gets a body, chassis and structure advisory, how often does it fail next time?
18.2% of DS 3 MOTs with a body, chassis and structure advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 5,789 miles later (54,220 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 54,220 (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
DS 3 2010 · DS 3 2011 · DS 3 2012 · DS 3 2013 · DS 3 2014 · DS 3 2015 · DS 3 2016 · DS 3 2017 · DS 3 2018 · DS 3 2019 · DS 3 2020 · DS 3 in Finland · DS 3 in the Netherlands · DS 3 by postcode area · DS 3 brakes failures · DS 3 vehicle identification failures · DS 3 lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · DS 3 noise, emissions and leaks failures · DS 3 road wheels failures · DS 3 seat belts and airbags failures · DS 3 steering failures · DS 3 suspension failures · DS 3 tyres failures · DS 3 visibility failures