Does the Nissan Leaf fail the MOT on vehicle identification more than it should?
The Nissan Leaf records 0.13 vehicle identification failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 0.34 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) (−0.21, 95% interval −0.23 to −0.18). It ranks 588 of 636 models on vehicle identification (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on vehicle identification · check a Nissan Leaf by registration
What exactly fails on vehicle identification?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Nissan Leaf is “Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements”, recorded 111 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements | 111 | 0.06 |
| Number plate inscription missing or illegible | 70 | 0.04 |
| Number plate missing or so insecure that it is likely to fall off | 41 | 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 vehicle identification advisory, how often does it fail next time?
2.0% of Nissan Leaf MOTs with a vehicle identification advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 6,863 miles later (944 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 944 (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 lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Nissan Leaf road wheels failures · Nissan Leaf seat belts and airbags failures · Nissan Leaf steering failures · Nissan Leaf suspension failures · Nissan Leaf tyres failures · Nissan Leaf visibility failures