Nissan Leaf 2018: MOT failure rate for its age

12.3% of 20,712 MOT tests of the Nissan Leaf first registered in 2018 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 89.6 (95% CI 86.1–93.1; 100 = normal for this model at that age): the 2018 Nissan Leaf fails less often than other build years of the same model at the same age.

Nissan Leaf built in 2018 at a glance
Measure	Value	Unit	Compared with	Years	Tests
Failed first time	12.3	%	all ages tested	2019–2024	20712
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 86.1–93.1)	89.6	index	100 = normal for this model at that age	2019–2024	20712
Rank among this model's 10 build years	3	of 10	1 = fails least for its age	2019–2024	20712
Tested in 2024	5036	tests	median 44,594 miles	2024	5036

Built 2018 against Nissan Leaf normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 3: 8.6% vs 9.2%; age 4: 11.3% vs 12%; age 5: 13.4% vs 15.4%; age 6: 16.2% vs 18.6%. Axis from 0% to 20%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

Check a 2018 Nissan Leaf by registration · All Nissan Leaf 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 2018 Nissan Leaf fail at each age?

Cars built in 2018 were tested at ages 3 to 6 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.

Nissan Leaf built 2018: 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)
3	5,364	8.6	7.8–9.3	9.2	93.1
4	5,210	11.3	10.5–12.2	12	94.2
5	5,102	13.4	12.5–14.4	15.4	87.2
6	5,036	16.2	15.2–17.2	18.6	86.7

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 20,712 (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 2018 Nissan Leaf?

The most common failure group on cars built in 2018 is visibility: 6.6 items per 100 first tests, against 7 across all build years of the Nissan Leaf. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 2018 were tested at ages 3 to 6.

Failure items per 100 first tests, Nissan Leaf built 2018 against the Nissan Leaf in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure group	Built 2018, per 100	All build years, per 100	Items
Visibility	6.6	7	1,422
Tyres	6.2	7.7	1,326
Brakes	2.5	5.9	536
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	2	3.2	422
Suspension	1.9	6.3	404

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 21,501 (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 2018 compare with the years around it?

Among the 10 published build years of the Nissan Leaf, 2018 ranks 3 (1 = fails least for its age). 2017: index 96.4. 2019: index 89.0.

Nissan Leaf build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build year	Index (100 = normal)	95% interval	Verdict	Tests
2011	90.2	84.2–96.3	better (rough estimate)	2,759
2012	88.0	82.0–94.0	better (rough estimate)	2,923
2013	113.4	109.1–117.8	worse	7,687
2014	111.7	108.7–114.6	worse	18,566
2015	104.6	101.9–107.3	worse	24,274
2016	105.2	102.1–108.2	worse	24,333
2017	96.4	93.4–99.4	better	26,791
2018	89.6	86.1–93.1	better	20,712
2019	89.0	84.8–93.2	better	15,805
2020	96.3	91.6–101.0	no different	15,916

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 159,766 (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). Nissan Leaf 2018 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/nissan-leaf/2018/

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.

Nissan Leaf 2018: MOT failure rate for its age

How does the 2018 Nissan Leaf fail at each age?

What fails most on the 2018 Nissan Leaf?

How does 2018 compare with the years around it?

How to cite this page

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