Nissan Pulsar 2016: MOT failure rate for its age

17.6% of 37,640 MOT tests of the Nissan Pulsar first registered in 2016 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 100.4 (95% CI 98.0–102.8; 100 = normal for this model at that age): the 2016 build year is no different from other years of the same model at the same age.

Nissan Pulsar built in 2016 at a glance
Measure	Value	Unit	Compared with	Years	Tests
Failed first time	17.6	%	all ages tested	2019–2024	37640
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 98.0–102.8)	100.4	index	100 = normal for this model at that age	2019–2024	37640
Rank among this model's 5 build years	3	of 5	1 = fails least for its age	2019–2024	37640
Tested in 2024	6153	tests	median 54,489 miles	2024	6153

Built 2016 against Nissan Pulsar normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 3: 11.3% vs 10.9%; age 4: 12.9% vs 12.1%; age 5: 14.4% vs 14.6%; age 6: 18.9% vs 18%; age 7: 22.8% vs 22.8%; age 8: 26% vs 27.5%. Axis from 0% to 30%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

Check a 2016 Nissan Pulsar by registration · All Nissan Pulsar 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 2016 Nissan Pulsar fail at each age?

Cars built in 2016 were tested at ages 3 to 8 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 Pulsar built 2016: 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	6,554	11.3	10.6–12.1	10.9	104.3
4	6,223	12.9	12.1–13.7	12.1	106.2
5	6,238	14.4	13.6–15.3	14.6	98.8
6	6,244	18.9	17.9–19.9	18	104.7
7	6,228	22.8	21.8–23.8	22.8	99.8
8	6,153	26	24.9–27.1	27.5	94.7

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 37,640 (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 2016 Nissan Pulsar?

The most common failure group on cars built in 2016 is tyres: 7.7 items per 100 first tests, against 7.5 across all build years of the Nissan Pulsar. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 2016 were tested at ages 3 to 8.

Failure items per 100 first tests, Nissan Pulsar built 2016 against the Nissan Pulsar in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure group	Built 2016, per 100	All build years, per 100	Items
Tyres	7.7	7.5	2,907
Brakes	6.2	6.8	2,323
Suspension	5.1	7.4	1,918
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	4.1	4.2	1,526
Visibility	2.8	3	1,045

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 37,640 (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 2016 compare with the years around it?

Among the 5 published build years of the Nissan Pulsar, 2016 ranks 3 (1 = fails least for its age). 2015: index 106.0. 2017: index 90.4.

Nissan Pulsar build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build year	Index (100 = normal)	95% interval	Verdict	Tests
2014	105.9	101.5–110.4	worse	8,031
2015	106.0	104.0–108.0	worse	45,915
2016	100.4	98.0–102.8	no different	37,640
2017	90.4	87.1–93.7	better	21,514
2018	89.7	84.1–95.4	better	8,134

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 121,234 (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 Pulsar 2016 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-pulsar/2016/

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.

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