Nissan Leaf MOT pass rate and common problems

Nissan Leaf common problems: what should I check before buying?

The faults recorded most often at Nissan Leaf MOTs in 2019–2024, per 100 tests.

• Worn suspension bush or joint4.90
  Major

  What to check: Listen for knocks over speed bumps, feel for the car wandering under braking, and ask which part was replaced.

• Tyre tread below the legal limit2.88
  Dangerous

  What to check: Check the tread across every tyre with a gauge; wear on one edge points to a tracking fault.

• Wiper blade worn2.83
  Minor

  What to check: Check the rubber edge of each wiper blade for splits and run the wipers on a wet screen.

• Tyre badly cut or damaged2.76
  Major

  What to check: Check both sidewalls of every tyre, including the inner side, for cuts, bulges and tears.

• Wiper missing or not clearing the screen2.12
  Major

  What to check: Wet the screen and run the wipers: they should clear the glass in front of the driver without streaks or juddering.

One test can record several defects, so this is not the share of Nissan Leafs.

Each tip applies only if the car you are looking at has that fault in its own MOT history.

Which Nissan Leaf years should I avoid?

2013 is the Nissan Leaf year that fails its MOT most for its age; 2012 fails least.

Fails more for its age: 2013, 2014, 2016.

Fails less for its age: 2011, 2012, 2018, 2019.

Year means the year the car was first registered, as DVSA records it. It may differ from the year it was built.

How does the Nissan Leaf compare with similar cars?

6 of 8 similar models fail less often for their age than the Nissan Leaf.

This is a different comparison from the one at the top. There, the Nissan Leaf is measured against all cars of the same age. Here, it sits among similar models. Both can be true.

How do Nissan Leafs hold up as they get older?

First-time MOT failures on Nissan Leafs go from 9.6% at age 3 to 33.1% at age 13.

Download every age and sample size (CSV)

Do advisories on Nissan Leafs turn into fails at the next MOT?

23.9% of steering advisories on Nissan Leafs turned into steering fails at the next MOT.

The next MOT came about 12 months later.

Based on 967 advisories, each followed to the car's next MOT, 2019–2024. This counts advisories, not cars.

The most common advisories on Nissan Leafs are for tyres: 39.61 per 100 tests.

Download all advisory transitions (CSV)

Nissan Leaf common problems: what actually fails the MOT?

Nissan Leaf MOTs fail most often on tyres: 7.7 per 100 tests, against 10.9 for UK cars of the same age (2019–2024, n = 175,078).

Full CSV

What is likely to fail next on a used Nissan Leaf?

For Nissan Leafs aged 3 to 5 whose last MOT was a pass, the item most likely to fail at the next MOT is visibility: 5.2% failed on it (2019–2024, n = 36,616).

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How often do Nissan Leafs get a dangerous MOT defect?

The Nissan Leaf gets a dangerous defect less often than the UK average: 7.1 per 100 first tests against 11.2 across the UK. In the same tests, 19.6 major and 5.7 minor defects were recorded per 100 tests (one test can record several).

Severity was not recorded for some 2018–2021 tests.

Comparison: 11.2 per 100.

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How much do Nissan Leaf MOT repairs cost?

Expected repair cost per Nissan Leaf MOT: about £32 (up to about £60 if more expensive parts are needed), from the chance of failing each item and its most common UK repair price (catalogue estimate, n = 45,716).

Computed, not measured.

Full CSV

What mileage is normal for a used Nissan Leaf?

At age 8, the median Nissan Leaf had covered 54,330 miles by its MOT; the middle half ranged from 39,797 to 72,135 miles (2024, n = 4,007).

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Do high-mileage Nissan Leafs fail their MOT more often?

At ages 3–5, 9.4% of Nissan Leafs with under 40,000 miles failed first time, against 18.0% of those with over 140,000 miles (2024, n = 17,038). Inside this age group, higher mileage goes with more failures.

Full CSV

How many miles do Nissan Leafs last?

2.5% of Nissan Leafs tested had reached 100,000 miles, and 0.2% had reached 150,000 (2024, n = 4,254).

Full CSV

Does mileage, as well as age, change the Nissan Leaf failure index?

Matched on annual mileage as well as age, the Nissan Leaf index is 101.2, against 95.7 on age alone (2019–2024, n = 45,716).

Comparison: 95.7 index.

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Which Nissan Leaf fuel type fails its MOT less?

All Nissan Leafs tested were electric: 19.2% failed first time (2024, n = 45,716).

Comparison: other fuels.

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Where in Britain does the Nissan Leaf fail its MOT most?

Nissan Leaf fails first-time MOTs most in Galashiels (TD): 33.2% against 17.8% across Britain for this model, both 2019–2024 (2019–2024, n = 443).

Across Britain for this model: 17.8% failed first time, also in 2019–2024.

See every postcode area and its sample size

Does the Nissan Leaf have rust problems?

Allowing for age, Nissan Leaf MOTs record corrosion failures at 0.8 times the national rate: 0.65% of tests against 0.77% (2024 + geographic layers, n = 45,715).

Computed, not measured.

Comparison: 1 ratio estimate.

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What do six years of MOTs show about owning a used Nissan Leaf?

Of failed Nissan Leaf MOTs, 47.6% were retested the same day and a further 49.6% within 10 days; the median failed car passed its retest after 1 day (2019–2024, n = 23,351).

Full CSV

Is low mileage good for a used Nissan Leaf?

Nissan Leafs aged 5 to 10 doing under 5,000 miles a year failed first time in 15.0% of tests, against 27.9% for those doing 8,000 to 12,000 miles (2019–2024, n = 25,628).

Full CSV

How many years do Nissan Leafs last?

Nissan Leafs aged 10 are forecast to keep taking MOTs for at least 1.1 more years; the survival curve is observed only until age 12, so the true figure is likely higher.

Computed, not measured.

Forecast, not a prediction for a particular car.

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How many Nissan Leafs are still on the road as they age?

In 2024, for every 100 Nissan Leafs tested at ages 4 to 6, about 3 were tested at age 12 (2024, n = 923).

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If a used Nissan Leaf fails its MOT, will it fail the next one?

24.1% of Nissan Leafs that failed an MOT failed the next one too, against 17.6% after a pass (2019–2024, n = 5,833). The failure most likely to come back is steering: 28.1% of those fails recurred at the next MOT.

Comparison: 17.6 %.

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Which Nissan Leaf faults tend to come together?

On Nissan Leafs, steering and suspension failures turn up together 9.1 times as often as chance would predict (2024, n = 662).

Comparison: expected joint rate.

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Nissan Leaf safety recalls: how do I check this car?

DVSA lists 6 safety recall campaigns matched to the Nissan Leaf; check whether yours has been fixed, using its registration number.

Comparison: DVSA register.

Check outstanding safety recalls by registration

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How many Nissan Leafs fail the MOT at each age?

Of every 100 Nissan Leafs tested at age 5, about 13 failed the MOT first time; at age 10, about 38. These are one-year rates for different cars tested in the same year, not a fleet followed over time; the steepest one-year step in this cross-section is between cars aged 7 and 8, 6.57 percentage points (2024).

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What have US dealers been told about the Nissan Leaf?

NHTSA lists 239 US technical service bulletins for the Nissan Leaf (US market, Nissan LEAF and its variants, model years 2015–2022 only); a count, not a UK failure rate.

Comparison: NHTSA.

NHTSA, US market, Nissan LEAF and its variants, model years 2015–2022 only; covers 211 of 761 models. These two sections use US records from NHTSA. US cars sold under the same name can differ from UK ones.

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What do US owners complain about on the Nissan Leaf?

The most common US owner complaint about the Nissan Leaf to NHTSA concerns lamps & electrical: 435 complaints (US market, Nissan LEAF and its variants, model years 2015–2022 only).

NHTSA, US market, Nissan LEAF and its variants, model years 2015–2022 only; covers 211 of 761 models. These two sections use US records from NHTSA. US cars sold under the same name can differ from UK ones.

Full CSV

Do Nissan Leafs fail their MOT more in some months?

Nissan Leafs fail first time most in November (19.9%, against 30.6% for all cars that month) and least in March (15.9%) (2024, n = 45,716).

Full CSV

More on the Nissan Leaf

Overview:

Model overview · All Nissan models

Build years:

2011 · 2012 · 2013 · 2014 · 2015 · 2016 · 2017 · 2018 · 2019 · 2020

What fails:

body · brakes · plates · lights · wheels · seat belts · steering · suspension · tyres · visibility

Abroad:

Finland · the Netherlands · Norway

By area:

Postcode areas

Compare:

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