Does the Nissan Leaf fail the MOT on steering more than it should?
The Nissan Leaf records 1.08 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 0.70 expected for a ev 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) (+0.38, 95% interval +0.33 to +0.42). It ranks 192 of 640 models on steering (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on steering · check a Nissan Leaf by registration
What exactly fails on steering?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Nissan Leaf is “A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play”, recorded 1,405 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 1,405 | 0.80 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated | 257 | 0.15 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 94 | 0.05 |
| A steering ball joint worn to the extent there is a serious risk of detachment | 72 | 0.04 |
| Steering lock missing or not functioning | 30 | 0.02 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 175,078 (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 Nissan Leaf gets a steering advisory, how often does it fail next time?
23.9% of Nissan Leaf MOTs with a steering advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 5,338 miles later (967 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 967 (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
Nissan Leaf 2011 · Nissan Leaf 2012 · Nissan Leaf 2013 · Nissan Leaf 2014 · Nissan Leaf 2015 · Nissan Leaf 2016 · Nissan Leaf 2017 · Nissan Leaf 2018 · Nissan Leaf 2019 · Nissan Leaf 2020 · Nissan Leaf in Finland · Nissan Leaf in Norway · Nissan Leaf in the Netherlands · Nissan Leaf by postcode area · Nissan Leaf body, chassis and structure failures · Nissan Leaf brakes failures · Nissan Leaf vehicle identification failures · Nissan Leaf lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Nissan Leaf road wheels failures · Nissan Leaf seat belts and airbags failures · Nissan Leaf suspension failures · Nissan Leaf tyres failures · Nissan Leaf visibility failures